Avila Beach, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by San Miguelito Mwc, plus 2 other utilities. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chlorine or chloramine
Utilities here use chlorine or chloramine, depending on which one serves your address. Chlorine slowly gases off from standing water; chloramine doesn't.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figureUp to 1.1 ppm (Low)
Typical 1.1 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From the utility that supplies yours: Central Coast Water Authority, which supplies San Miguelito Mwc; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Beach Community Services District; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Valley Mutual Water Co (2023–2026).
Copper at home taps
0.14–0.51 ppm (High)
Typical 0.51 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 (2023–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure87–331 ppm
Typical 87 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: Central Coast Water Authority, which supplies San Miguelito Mwc; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Beach Community Services District; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Valley Mutual Water Co (2023–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure66–237 ppm
Typical 66 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From the utility that supplies yours: Central Coast Water Authority, which supplies San Miguelito Mwc; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Beach Community Services District; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Valley Mutual Water Co (2023–2026).
pH
Supplier's figure8.1
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: Central Coast Water Authority, which supplies San Miguelito Mwc; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Beach Community Services District; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Valley Mutual Water Co (2023–2026).
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure260–450 ppm
Typical 260 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: Central Coast Water Authority, which supplies San Miguelito Mwc; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Beach Community Services District; Lopez Project, which supplies Avila Valley Mutual Water Co (2023–2026).
Who supplies Avila Beach, CA
San Miguelito Mwc
Serves 61% of residents · Buys water from Central Coast Water Authority · Chlorine
Avila Beach Community Services District
Serves 23% of residents · Buys water from Lopez Project · Chloramine
Avila Valley Mutual Water Co
Serves 8% of residents · Buys water from Lopez Project · 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.
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Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.