Madison water by well
Madison Water Utility pumps from wells across the city, and each well has its own water quality report. In the reports we read, hardness runs from 270 mg/L at Well 20 to 580 mg/L at Well 14, all very hard on the USGS scale.
Which one serves my home?
Find your neighborhood in the wells below. Some neighborhoods appear under more than one well, and some wells run only in summer.
Well 6: Near West
UW campus area and Near West neighborhoods: Regent, Dudgeon-Monroe, Vilas, Greenbush, Rocky Bluff, Sunset Hills. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 450 mg/L (26 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 6, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #6 water quality report.
The published figure here is 450 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 7: North, Near East
Village of Maple Bluff, Sherman Avenue neighborhoods between Northport Drive and the Yahara River, Sheridan Triangle, Maple Wood, Tenney-Lapham, Marquette. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 390 mg/L (23 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 7, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #7 water quality report.
The published figure here is 390 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 8: Near East (seasonal well)
Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara and Marquette homes east of the Yahara River. Seasonal well, usually summer only. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 324 mg/L (19 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 8, calendar year 2022. Source: Unit Well #8 water quality report.
The published figure here is 324 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 9: East, Southeast
Eastmorland, Lake Edge, Glendale; neighborhoods between Monona Drive and Stoughton Road south of Cottage Grove Road; all neighborhoods south of Pflaum Road. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 420 mg/L (25 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 9, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #9 water quality report.
The published figure here is 420 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 11: East
East side: Emerson East, Eken Park, Marquette, Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara, Hawthorne, Worthington Park, plus homes in Burke Heights, Hiestand, Rolling Meadows and Eastmorland. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 440 mg/L (26 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 11, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #11 water quality report.
The published figure here is 440 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 12: West
Near West and West: University Hill Farms, Sunset Village, Midvale Heights, Westmorland, Crawford-Marlborough-Nakoma, Orchard Ridge, Summit Woods, Meadowood, Allied Dunn's Marsh, Arbor Hills, Leopold. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 300 mg/L (18 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 12, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #12 water quality report.
The published figure here is 300 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 13: North
North side: west of Packers Avenue, north of Warner Park; Berkley Oaks, Sherman, Brentwood Village. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 380 mg/L (22 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 13, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #13 water quality report.
The published figure here is 380 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 14: West
West side: Spring Harbor, Old Middleton Greenway, Sunset Village, Regent, Glen Oak Hills, Hill Farms, Village of Shorewood Hills, UW campus area. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 580 mg/L (34 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 14, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #14 water quality report.
The published figure here is 580 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 15: East, Northeast
East Washington corridor (Yahara River to I-90/94): Greater Sandburg, Mayfair Park, Truax, Emerson East, Eken Park, Carpenter-Ridgeway, Bluff Acres, Westchester Gardens. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 370 mg/L (22 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 15, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #15 water quality report.
The published figure here is 370 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
- The well list says Well 15 is out of service, but its own report says it resumed delivering water in September 2025. Source: Unit Well #15 water quality report.
Well 16: West
North of Odana Road between Rosa Road and High Point Road (report: north of the Beltline between Whitney Way and High Point Road); Junction Ridge, Greentree. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 380 mg/L (22 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 16, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #16 water quality report.
The published figure here is 380 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 17: Central (seasonal well)
Downtown and Capitol areas between Blair Street and Bedford Street (index page says between Park Street and Blair Street). Seasonal well, usually summer only. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 320 mg/L (19 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 17, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #17 water quality report.
The published figure here is 320 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 18: South
South side Park Street-Fish Hatchery Road corridor; also Greenbush, Bay Creek, Burr Oaks, Bram's Addition, Vilas. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 320 mg/L (19 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 18, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #18 water quality report.
The published figure here is 320 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 19: Near West
UW campus area, State-Langdon and Regent neighborhoods. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 310 mg/L (18 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 19, calendar year 2024. Source: Unit Well #19 water quality report.
The published figure here is 310 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 20: Southwest
Southwest neighborhoods south of Raymond Road; also Greentree, Orchard Ridge, Allied Dunn's Marsh, Nakoma, Arbor Hills. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 270 mg/L (16 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 20, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #20 water quality report.
The published figure here is 270 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 24: Central, Near East
Central (Capitol area) and Isthmus/Near East neighborhoods between Park Street and the Yahara River. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 290 mg/L (17 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 24, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #24 water quality report.
The published figure here is 290 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 25: Far East
Far East: Heritage Heights, Elvehjem, Richmond Hills, North Star, Sprecher East, Ridgewood, Hiestand, Rolling Meadows, McClellan Park. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 330 mg/L (19 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 25, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #25 water quality report.
The published figure here is 330 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 26: Far West
Far West neighborhoods west of Gammon Road, south of Mineral Point Road; seasonally most areas west of Rosa Road. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 320 mg/L (19 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 26, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #26 water quality report.
The published figure here is 320 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 27: Near West
South and east of the UW campus: Dudgeon-Monroe, Greenbush, Vilas, South Campus, State-Langdon. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 370 mg/L (22 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 27, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #27 water quality report.
The published figure here is 370 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 28: Far West
Far West neighborhoods west of the Beltline, north of Mineral Point Road and west of Gammon Road (report also names Junction Road and Pleasant View Road). Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 300 mg/L (18 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 28, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #28 water quality report.
The published figure here is 300 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 29: Far East
East of Stoughton Road (and East Washington Ave) north of Commercial Avenue/I-94: Mayfair Park, Burke Heights, Hiestand, Rolling Meadows, High Crossing, Bluff Acres, North Star, Sprecher East. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 340 mg/L (20 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 29, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #29 water quality report.
The published figure here is 340 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 30: South
South side, south of Wingra Creek and east of Park Street: Bridge-Lakepoint, Waunona, Moorland-Rimrock, Highland Manor, Indian Springs, Capitol View Heights, Bram's Addition, Bay Creek, Vilas, Greenbush, Monona Bay. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 290 mg/L (17 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 30, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #30 water quality report.
The published figure here is 290 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Well 31: Southeast
East and Southeast sides from the Village of McFarland border north to about Pflaum Road. Source: Madison Water Utility well water quality reports page.
- 340 mg/L (20 grains per gallon) for hardness, Unit Well 31, calendar year 2025. Source: Unit Well #31 water quality report.
The published figure here is 340 mg/L, which reads as very hard on the USGS scale.
Across the 22 Madison areas above, the figures run 270 to 580 mg/L, which sits in the USGS very hard class. Each is a plant, well or area figure, not a reading at one address. (USGS hardness classes)
See Madison water and quotes, or request a quote.
Sources last checked October 27, 2026. Madison Water Systems is not a water utility.