Dover, PA tap water
Supplied by Dover Boro Water Sys. 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 about 0.15 ppm of ammonia here. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Ammonia (with conditioner)
Estimate0.1–0.16 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.15 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 Dover Boro Water Sys reports (2012–2019).
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)
11–18 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 15 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.4–0.7 ppm
Typical 0.6 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.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Area estimate77–268 ppm
Typical 124 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2004–2023).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Area estimate6–188 ppm
Typical 73 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2004–2023).
pH
Area estimate5–7.7
Typical 6.4
Acidic. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2000–2023).
Total dissolved solids
Area estimate90–359 ppm
Typical 202 ppm
A rough measure of everything dissolved in the water. RO water reads near 0, so TDS is a quick way to compare waters.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2004–2023).
- Dover Boro Water Sys adds phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Dover, PA
Dover Boro Water Sys
Serves all residents · Groundwater (wells) · 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.
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.