North La Crosse
North La Crosse, WI water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
North La Crosse is a small but growing city and the 13th-largest in Wisconsin, home to roughly 50,470 residents. North 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; North 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 North La Crosse below.
At a glance
- Population ~50,470 (13th-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 North La Crosse?
North La Crosse is served by community water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Statewide, 37.9% of Wisconsin's systems have a recent health-based violation. Check your provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report for local results.
Where does North La Crosse get its water?
North La Crosse draws from the same regional sources that serve Wisconsin: 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.
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