La Crosse
La Crosse, WI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
la crosse waterworks
groundwater (wells) · local government · PWSID WI6320309
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
La Crosse is a small but growing city and the 12th-largest in Wisconsin, home to roughly 52,306 residents. La Crosse's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Wisconsin: Great Lakes, Wisconsin River, and aquifers.
As elsewhere in Wisconsin, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. Great Lakes access is abundant, but PFAS and nitrate contamination affect many private and municipal wells.
Wisconsin reuses an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; La Crosse tracks abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Wisconsin profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping La Crosse below.
La Crosse County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~52,306 (12th-largest in Wisconsin)
- Primary sources: Great Lakes, Wisconsin River, and aquifers
- Drought: abnormally dry to moderate conditions
- State reuse rate: ~3% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of Wisconsin in severe+ drought (Moderate (D1) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in La Crosse?
La Crosse's largest water system, LA CROSSE WATERWORKS, serves about 53,000 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 10.9 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does La Crosse get its water?
LA CROSSE WATERWORKS draws primarily from groundwater (wells), part of Wisconsin's supply from Great Lakes, Wisconsin River, aquifers.
Related water issues
Aging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExplorePFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
Explore