Channel Islands Beach, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by Channel Islands Beach CSD, plus 3 other utilities. 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 about 0.38 ppm of ammonia here. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Ammonia (with conditioner)
Estimate0.05–0.63 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.38 ppm
This is what a conditioner frees when it breaks the chloramine apart. A cycled filter clears it within a day.
Estimated from the chloramine level City of Oxnard Water Division reports (2024).
Nitrite (NO₂)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figure6.6–15 ppm (Low)
Typical 9.3 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From the utility that supplies yours: Port Hueneme Water Agency and Oxnard Water Dept, which supplies Channel Islands Beach CSD; City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Copper at home taps
Up to 0.79 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.12 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; City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report (2023–2026).
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.2–2.6 ppm
Typical 1.6 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: City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure135–551 ppm
Typical 277 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
From the utility that supplies yours: Port Hueneme Water Agency and Oxnard Water Dept, which supplies Channel Islands Beach CSD; City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure120–200 ppm
Typical 150 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From the utility that supplies yours: Port Hueneme Water Agency and Oxnard Water Dept, which supplies Channel Islands Beach CSD; City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
pH
Supplier's figure7.5–7.7
Typical 7.6
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: Port Hueneme Water Agency and Oxnard Water Dept, which supplies Channel Islands Beach CSD; City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure270–1200 ppm
Typical 573 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: Port Hueneme Water Agency and Oxnard Water Dept, which supplies Channel Islands Beach CSD; City of Oxnard Water Division's 2024 water quality report; California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
- Channel Islands Beach CSD, City of Oxnard Water Division and Port Hueneme Water Agency add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
- Channel Islands Beach CSD and Port Hueneme Water Agency soften their water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Channel Islands Beach, CA
Channel Islands Beach CSD
Serves all residents · Buys water from Port Hueneme Water Agency · Chloramine
- 2024 water quality report
City of Oxnard Water Division
Serves 26% of residents · Buys water from Calleguas Municipal Water Dist · Chloramine
United Wtr Cons Dist
Serves 26% of residents · Groundwater fed by surface water · Chloramine
Port Hueneme Water Agency
Serves 26% of residents · Buys water from Calleguas Municipal Water Dist · 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.