Brookfield runs on well water, the city’s or your own
There is no lake water in Brookfield’s system: the utility pumps municipal wells inside the city. A house with its own private well is drawing groundwater too, only without anyone publishing a number for it.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmStaying on wells is why Brookfield is this hard
Several neighboring communities moved to Lake Michigan water. Brookfield did not, and that choice is why the city’s water sits among the hardest in Waukesha County, at 23 to 34 grains.
A private well in or around Brookfield has no published figure of its own. The city’s number describes the city’s water, not yours.
A city well versus a well of your own
On a city connection, the utility does the publishing for you. On a private well, no utility number applies, so whatever lab results you have become the starting point for sizing.
Have that report in front of you when you call. If there is no report, tell us that too.
Reading a well report in grains
A lab may report hardness in milligrams per liter instead of grains. The conversion is a division by 17.1, which is how Brookfield’s 393 to 581 milligrams per liter becomes the city’s 23 to 34 grains.
On a well, a softener has one job
A softener exchanges calcium and magnesium for sodium, or potassium when the brine tank holds potassium chloride. Bacteria and nitrate are outside what a softener is built for, on a private well or a city line.
Wells can hold iron as well as hardness. If your lab report shows an iron number, read it to us on the call.
The yearly bacteria test is a separate job
The Wisconsin DNR advises testing a private well for bacteria every year, at minimum. That test is about the well itself, and it stays on the calendar whether or not a softener ever goes in.
Common questions
Is Brookfield city water well water?
Yes. The city utility draws from municipal wells within Brookfield and buys no water from Lake Michigan.
I live in the Town of Brookfield. Which number applies to me?
If your house is on Sanitary District No. 4, the district publishes 32 to 35 grains. If it has its own private well, no one publishes a figure, and your lab results are where the quote starts.
What should I mention about my well on the call?
Any lab result you have, hardness above all, and iron if the report shows it. Add the head count in your household and where the water service enters the house.