Chattanooga, TN tap water
Supplied mostly by Tennessee American Water, 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 (2014–2019).
Nitrate (NO₃)
0.8–3.4 ppm (Low)
Typical 1.1 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From Tennessee American Water's 2025 water quality report; EPA monitoring data (2014–2025).
Copper at home taps (first draw)
0.03–0.14 ppm (Low)
The 90th percentile of first-draw samples from homes: water that sat in household pipes for at least six hours.
Low. Water that sits in household pipes overnight can carry more than this.
Published by your utility: Tennessee American Water's 2025 water quality report.
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0–2.2 ppm
Typical 0.2 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: Tennessee American Water's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
61–90 ppm
Typical 76 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
Published by your utility: Tennessee American Water's 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
pH
7.1–7.6
Typical 7.3
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From Tennessee American Water's 2025 water quality report; EPA monitoring data (2014–2025).
Total dissolved solids
76–94 ppm
Typical 85 ppm
A rough measure of everything dissolved in the water. RO water reads near 0, so TDS is a quick way to compare waters.
Published by your utility: Tennessee American Water's 2025 water quality report.
- Tennessee American Water and Hixson Utility District add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Chattanooga, TN
- 2025 water quality report
Tennessee American Water
Serves 80% of residents · Lake or river water · Chlorine
Hixson Utility District
Serves 17% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · 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.