East McKeesport, PA tap water
Supplied mostly by Mawc Sweeney Plant, plus 1 other utility. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chlorine or chloramine
Utilities here use chlorine or chloramine, depending on which one serves your address. Chlorine slowly gases off from standing water; chloramine doesn't.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Ammonia (with conditioner)
Estimate0.18–0.34 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.28 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 Mawc Sweeney Plant 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)
2.5–3.5 ppm (Low)
Typical 2.5 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.4–1.4 ppm
Typical 1.1 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
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
35–43 ppm
Typical 40 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From EPA monitoring data; EPA monitoring data, measured before treatment (2012–2019).
pH
7.4–7.5
Typical 7.4
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
- Mawc Sweeney Plant and West Cnty Muni Auth-Mckeesport add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies East McKeesport, PA
Mawc Sweeney Plant
Serves 89% of residents · Lake or river water · Chloramine
West Cnty Muni Auth-Mckeesport
Serves 14% 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.