Outagamie County, Wisconsin: drinking water report. Outagamie County in the Fox Valley of northeast Wisconsin has a population of about 190,000, centered
Outagamie County in the Fox Valley of northeast Wisconsin has a population of about 190,000, centered on Appleton. The county draws water from deep wells and from Lake Winnebago via the Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District region. The Fox River Valley has a long industrial history – paper mills operated along the Fox River for over a century, and their legacy of contamination persists in river sediment and downstream water quality.
The lower Fox River is one of the most heavily contaminated rivers in the Great Lakes basin. PCB contamination from paper mill operations drove a massive EPA-led dredging project that removed millions of cubic yards of contaminated sediment between 2009 and 2020. According to the Wisconsin DNR's 2024 status report, while dredging has reduced PCB concentrations in the river, fish consumption advisories remain in effect and residual contamination persists.
The EPA's UCMR5 data shows PFAS detections in Outagamie County water systems. Appleton's water utility detected PFAS at levels near 8 ppt in treated water. The Appleton International Airport has used AFFF firefighting foam, and Wisconsin's groundwater enforcement standard of 20 ppt for combined PFOS and PFOA means the county's detections are approaching regulatory concern.
The Fox River's industrial legacy affects the broader environmental picture, even if your tap water meets standards. Municipal wells in the Fox Valley draw from deep aquifers that are generally separated from river contamination, but shallow wells may not have that protection.
Check your water for current data on your system. For PFAS and industrial-area contaminants, reverse osmosis is the strongest household option. Our water filter guide details the systems that perform best in industrially impacted areas. Pull your detailed report for trends, and visit our Wisconsin page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Outagamie County, WI.
The EPA places Outagamie County, WI in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
52% of homes in Outagamie County, WI were built before 1980, and 20% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Outagamie County, WI averages 7.5 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide
20 public water systems serving Outagamie County, WI have EPA lead testing on record. The reported lead sample skews toward systems that already flagged a problem, so its exceedance rate is not directly comparable with other areas. 7 water systems serving Outagamie County, WI carry a health-based EPA Safe Drinking Water Act violation.
| Most-cited violation type | Systems affected |
|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | 4 |
| Combined Radium (226 + 228) | 1 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | 1 |
| Ground Water Rule | 1 |
Source: EPA Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile tap sampling and EPA SDWIS Safe Drinking Water Act enforcement records, aggregated from the public water systems serving this county. Figures are counts of water systems, not a test of any individual home or tap.