Bardstown, KY tap water
Supplied mostly by Bardstown Municipal Water Dept, 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 (2012–2014).
Nitrate (NO₃)
0.7–4.9 ppm (Low)
Typical 4.9 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data; Bardstown Municipal Water Dept and Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Nelson Water District (2012–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure128 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Nelson Water District (2025).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
76–148 ppm
Typical 148 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From EPA monitoring data; Bardstown Municipal Water Dept and Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Nelson Water District (2017–2025).
pH
7.5–8.6
Typical 7.5
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data; Bardstown Municipal Water Dept and Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Nelson Water District (2012–2025).
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure225 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: Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Nelson Water District (2025).
- Bardstown Municipal Water Dept and North Nelson Water District add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Bardstown, KY
Bardstown Municipal Water Dept
Serves 93% of residents · Lake or river water · Chloramine
North Nelson Water District
Serves 6% of residents · Buys water from Bardstown Municipal Water Dept · 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.