Elk River, MN tap water
Supplied by Elk River. Here's what its 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 (2019).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Area estimate0.9–124 ppm (High)
Typical 44 ppm
High for well water. Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2018).
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.8–1.3 ppm
Typical 0.9 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 (2014–2018).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Area estimate208–418 ppm
Typical 282 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2018).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Area estimate162–274 ppm
Typical 204 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2018).
pH
Area estimate6.8–7.7
Typical 7.3
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2018).
Total dissolved solids
Area estimate217–430 ppm
Typical 325 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 (2002–2018).
Who supplies Elk River, MN
Elk River
Serves 75% 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.