Chino, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by City of Chino, 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 California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Nitrate (NO₃)
7.5–13 ppm (Low)
Typical 7.5 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From California Water Board lab results (2024–2026).
Copper at home taps
Up to 0.06 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.06 ppm
Low. Water that sits in household pipes overnight can carry more than this.
From California Water Board lab results (2024–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
180–270 ppm
Typical 263 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
From California Water Board lab results (2024–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure72–260 ppm
Typical 83 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From the utility that supplies yours: Chino Basin Desalter Auth. - Desalter 1 and Water Facilities Authority-Jpa and Monte Vista WD, which supplies City of Chino; City of Upland and Water Facilities Authority-Jpa and City of Chino Hills, which supplies Monte Vista WD (2023–2026).
pH
7.9–8
Typical 8
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2018).
Total dissolved solids
190–900 ppm
Typical 223 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 California Water Board lab results; City of Upland and Water Facilities Authority-Jpa and City of Chino Hills, which supplies Monte Vista WD (2023–2026).
- City of Chino and Monte Vista WD add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Chino, CA
City of Chino
Serves 92% of residents · Buys water from Chino Basin Desalter Auth. - Desalter 1 · Chloramine
Monte Vista WD
Serves 5% of residents · Buys water from City of Upland · 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.