Appleton, Wisconsin
Water Quality in Appleton, Wisconsin
Water Source: Garners Creek – Fox River
What is the water quality like in Appleton, WI?
Let’s dive deeper into what’s in Appleton water.
What’s in your water?
Here are the top 5 chemical compounds in your water and what health issues they can potentially cause:
- Bromodichloromethane – Potential effect: Cancer
- Chloroform – Potential effect: Cancer
- Haloacetic acids – Potential effect: Cancer
- Radium – Potential effect: Cancer
- Total trihalomethanes – Potential effect: Cancer
These are five of the 20 contaminants analyzed by the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org).
9 of these contaminants are rated as exceeding EWG Health Guidelines.
For more data: Appleton, Wisconsin water information
Where does Appleton’s water come from?
Appleton’s water comes from the Garners Creek – Fox River watershed.
14 of the 19 EPA assessed water sources in the Garners Creek – Fox River watershed are in Impaired or Unknown condition. These include:
- Fox River – multiple sections
- Fox River Lock Channel – multiple sections
- Garners Creek
- Seven unnamed waterbodies
Ideally, a water source would be rated in Good condition. There are 5 unnamed waterbodies in Good condition.
Whether a water source is in Impaired or Good condition refers to the quality of these uses:
- Drinking Water
- Aquatic Life
- Fish and Shellfish Consumption
- Recreation
Learn more from How’s My Waterway
See below for what you can do to improve Appleton’s water.
Conclusion – What Can You Do?
Information about water quality can be surprising.
But there’s no reason to lose hope. There are things you can do in your household as well as things you can do at a community level.
In Your Household:
- Use Berkey filters with activated carbon to filter out 18 of the 20 contaminants in your drinking water.
- Berkey filters can also remove up to 99.99% of Lead in Appleton water.
- Brita can filter 9 (and Lead depending on the filter).
- Note: We may receive a commission if you decide to purchase filters through links on this page.
- To filter out 17 of the 20 contaminants in your whole house, consider a Reverse Osmosis water filtration system for your home.
- These are more expensive than pitchers to purchase, but can be more effective.
- They have the benefit of filtering out heavy hitters like:
- Aluminum
- Barium – health risks
- Bromodichloromethane – health risks
- Chloroform – health risks
- Chromium (total)
- Fluoride
- Haloacetic acids – chlorination byproduct*
- Hexavalent chromium
- Nitrate
- Nitrite
- Radium
- Strontium
- Total trihalomethanes – byproduct of chlorination*
- Trichloroacetic acid
*Chlorination is an effective method of disinfecting/treating drinking water. You can then use a water filter to reduce the effects of chlorination byproducts to get the safest, cleanest water possible.
In Your Community:
Contact your local government officials and put pressure on them to invest in cleaner waterways and upgraded city water filtration and treatment.
Go to: https://www.appleton.org/government to find contact information for your local officials.