Camden, NJ tap water
Supplied mostly by City of Camden, plus 1 other utility. 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)
2.4–12 ppm (Low)
Typical 6.8 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From EPA monitoring data; New Jersey American Water - Western System's 2025 water quality report (2012–2025).
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.1–1.4 ppm
Typical 0.5 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: New Jersey American Water - Western System's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure128 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: New Jersey American Water – Western, which supplies City of Camden; New Jersey American Water - Western System's 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
43–88 ppm
Typical 63 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
pH
7–8.4
Typical 8.1
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data; New Jersey American Water - Western System's 2025 water quality report (2016–2025).
- City of Camden and New Jersey American Water - Western System add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Camden, NJ
City of Camden
Serves 62% of residents · Buys water from New Jersey American Water – Western · Chlorine
- 2025 water quality report
New Jersey American Water - Western System
Serves 37% of residents · Lake or river water · 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.