Brea, CA tap water
Supplied by City of Brea. Here's what its 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
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figureUp to 20 ppm (Low)
Typical 8.8 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From the utility that supplies yours: Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal. and California Domestic Water Company, which supplies City of Brea (2023–2026).
Copper at home taps
0.11 ppm (Worth knowing)
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).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure82–291 ppm
Typical 232 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
From the utility that supplies yours: Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal. and California Domestic Water Company, which supplies City of Brea (2023–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure68–170 ppm
Typical 138 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From the utility that supplies yours: Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal. and California Domestic Water Company, which supplies City of Brea (2023–2026).
pH
Supplier's figure7.9–8.7
Typical 8.1
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal. and California Domestic Water Company, which supplies City of Brea (2023–2026).
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure214–666 ppm
Typical 422 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: Metropolitan Water Dist. of So. Cal. and California Domestic Water Company, which supplies City of Brea (2023–2026).
Who supplies Brea, CA
City of Brea
Serves 98% 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.
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Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.