In Delafield, your own well's number is the one that counts
Delafield is a private-well town. The city's waterworks reaches only a minority of residents, and its two wells, sampled on the same day, came back at about 14 and 23 grains. If two city wells can differ that much, your well and your neighbor's can too.
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What is included
- Whole-home softener with a matching brine tank, sized from your well's reading or the city's figures
- A reverse-osmosis faucet by the kitchen sink for drinking water, included in every whole-home softener order
- Set and plumbed by a plumbing contractor who is licensed in Wisconsin
- A tap test before anything is connected, then retests until hardness reads zero
- One price over the phone; no salesperson ever at your door
- Quote calls Monday to Friday, from 7am until 5pm
Delafield water hardness
Source: Wisconsin DNR compliance sampling, City of Delafield waterworks; City of Delafield utilities page
Most of Delafield is on its own wells
The City of Delafield says it plainly: most residents have private wells. Its waterworks serves the minority, and the Town of Delafield shares the name. The state's estimates for January 2026 put the town at 8,126 people and the city at 7,310.
No utility samples the water in a private well. The owner is the only one who does, and the number a softener needs has to come from that: a lab report if there is one, and a test at the tap on install day.
One small system, two wells, two answers
The city runs two municipal wells. One reaches 1,215 feet into the deep sandstone; the other goes 220 feet into the shallow aquifer. Wisconsin DNR compliance samples taken on a single day measured 240 mg/L at the deep well and 400 at the shallow one.
That is 14.0 and 23.4 grains per gallon, nine grains apart, from one city on one day. On the USGS scale, both count as very hard, a band that starts above 180 mg/L.
If two city wells disagree by that much, there is no reason to assume your well matches the house next door.
What the city's shallow well shows over time
DNR records for the 220-foot well show iron at 0.35, 0.40 and 0.40 mg/L in 2008, 2017 and 2026, above the EPA secondary standard of 0.3, the level where staining becomes noticeable. Chloride in the same well was 6.4 mg/L in 2008 and 89 by 2026, and sodium rose along with it.
None of that is a reading of your well. It does show that one well's water can change a great deal over the years, which is why the number worth acting on is a current one from your own tap.
City water or a private well: which figures apply
If your home is on the city waterworks, the DNR's 14.0 and 23.4 grains are your starting point, and the reading at your tap settles the setting.
If a private well supplies your home, in the City or the Town of Delafield, neither number is yours. The figure to go by comes from your lab report or from the reading taken on install day.
Common questions
Does the city's hardness figure apply to my house?
Only if your home is on the city waterworks, which serves a minority of Delafield. Most residents have private wells, and every private well carries its own hardness.
Can I go by my neighbor's well test?
It is a poor substitute. The city's two wells read 14.0 and 23.4 grains on one day, so wells close together can differ widely. Your own reading is the one to size from.
My well report shows iron. What then?
Tell us the iron number when you call, next to your hardness result. The city's own shallow well has run above the iron staining level, so it is worth raising before anything is sized.
How often should my well be tested?
Wisconsin's DNR advises a bacteria test on every private well at least yearly. That is separate from softening: a softener is a hardness appliance, not a bacteria or nitrate treatment.
Is there an in-home sales visit?
No. The price gets settled over the phone. The first visit you get is from the plumbing contractor, and only after you say yes.