Is Three Lakes, WI tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Three Lakes have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Wisconsin’s records: Three Lakes Sanitary District and Northernaire Sanitary District.
Three Lakes Sanitary District, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 11.2 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Three Lakes Sanitary District is moderately hard, typically 95 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon). How Wisconsin’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Three Lakes’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Three Lakes Sanitary District
Wisconsin · serves 500 people · under 100 in Three Lakes
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 11.2 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: moderately hard, typically 95 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Northernaire Sanitary District
Wisconsin · serves 315 people · under 100 in Three Lakes
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 2.4 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft, 10 mg/L (0.6 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Three Lakes Sanitary District’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
Disclosure: TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Three Lakes
The 3 labs Wisconsin certifies closest to Three Lakes, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Eagle River Health Department Laboratory
Eagle River, WI · about 14 miles
Certified for bacteria
Oneida County Health Department
Rhinelander, WI · about 16 miles
Certified for bacteria
Northern Lake Service Inc. - Waukesha
Waukesha, WI · about 20 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, minerals and other inorganics
Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene: Well water test kits ordered by phone and shipped free; you pay to mail the sample back, and the lab bills you after testing. Tests run from bacteria alone to a homeowner package covering bacteria, nitrate, fluoride, metals, hardness, volatile organic compounds and atrazine. Bacteria is $35, nitrate $35, lead $38, and the homeowner package $450, as of July 1, 2026. Public Environmental and Water Testing Prices, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.
All 156 certified labs for WisconsinZIP codes in Three Lakes
Which ZIP codes are in Three Lakes: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Wisconsin DNR and DATCP, certified and approved drinking water laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Three Lakes
Towns nearby with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Three Lakes Sanitary District’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water