Auburn, WA tap water
Supplied mostly by City of Auburn, plus 2 other utilities. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chlorine
Your water is treated with chlorine. It slowly gases off from standing water, and any water conditioner removes it.
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 (2012–2019).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Up to 19 ppm (Low)
Typical 6.6 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From EPA monitoring data; Lakehaven Water and Sewer District's 2025 water quality report (2012–2025).
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.3–1.1 ppm
Typical 0.7 ppm
At tap levels, chlorine and chloramine are toxic to fish, shrimp and the bacteria in a filter. Water conditioners are made for this range.
Published by your utility: Lakehaven Water and Sewer District's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
14–146 ppm
Typical 54 ppm
Soft. Good for tetras, rasboras and most shrimp. Livebearers, snails and African cichlids prefer harder water.
Published by your utility: Lakehaven Water and Sewer District's 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure24–28 ppm
Typical 26 ppm
Little buffering. pH can drop quickly between water changes, especially with CO₂ or an older tank.
From the utility that supplies yours: City of Tacoma Water Division, which supplies Bonney Lake Water Department City; City of Tacoma Water Division, which supplies Lakehaven Water and Sewer District (2012–2019).
pH
Supplier's figure7.5–8.5
Typical 8.3
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: Seattle Public Utilities, which supplies Lakehaven Water and Sewer District.
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure36 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 the utility that supplies yours: Seattle Public Utilities, which supplies Lakehaven Water and Sewer District.
Who supplies Auburn, WA
City of Auburn
Serves 80% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Bonney Lake Water Department City
Serves 10% of residents · Buys water from City of Tacoma Water Division · Chlorine
- 2025 water quality report
Lakehaven Water and Sewer District
Serves 8% of residents · Buys water from City of Tacoma Water Division · Chlorine
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.