Artesia, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by Gswc - Artesia, plus 1 other utility. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chloramine
Your water is treated with chloramine. Unlike chlorine, it doesn't gas off when water sits out, and many pitcher and fridge filters aren't rated to remove it. Conditioners that list chloramine on the label break it apart, which frees a little ammonia. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Nitrite (NO₂)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From EPA monitoring data (2017).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Up to 2.9 ppm (Low)
Typically not detected
Not detected in testing, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data; Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal., which supplies Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk (2017–2026).
Copper at home taps
0.03–0.1 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.1 ppm
Shrimp and snails are sensitive to copper. Water that sits in household pipes picks up the most; it drops once the tap has run for a minute.
From California Water Board lab results (2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
82–291 ppm
Typical 151 ppm
Moderately hard. Great for livebearers, and most community fish adapt.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal., which supplies Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk (2023–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
68–220 ppm
Typical 190 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal., which supplies Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk (2023–2026).
pH
8.1–8.7
Typical 8.3
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data; Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal., which supplies Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk (2017–2026).
Total dissolved solids
214–666 ppm
Typical 285 ppm
A rough measure of everything dissolved in the water. RO water reads near 0, so TDS is a quick way to compare waters.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal., which supplies Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk (2023–2026).
Who supplies Artesia, CA
Gswc - Artesia
Serves 82% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chloramine
Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk
Serves 8% of residents · Buys water from Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal. · Chloramine
Our data comes from public records and is still incomplete. Many utilities don't publish every number, so we're adding more all the time. Your city's range is a starting point: testing your own tap is the only way to know exactly what's in it.
Tap water lookup covers US cities only for now. Want to know why it matters? Read our story on tap water.
Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.