Florence, KY tap water
Supplied mostly by Florence Water & Sewer, plus 2 other utilities. 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 (2012–2019).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figure2.1–5.5 ppm (Low)
Typical 4.9 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From the utility that supplies yours: Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Florence Water & Sewer; Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Boone Co Water & Sewer District; Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report.
Copper at home taps (first draw)
0.01–1.27 ppm (Worth knowing)
The 90th percentile of first-draw samples from homes: water that sat in household pipes for at least six hours.
Shrimp and snails are sensitive to copper. Water that sits in household pipes picks up the most; it drops once the tap has run for a minute.
Published by your utility: Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report.
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
1.1–1.3 ppm
Typical 1.2 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: Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure78–168 ppm
Typical 126 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Florence Water & Sewer; Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Boone Co Water & Sewer District; Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure37–125 ppm
Typical 74 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From the utility that supplies yours: Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Florence Water & Sewer; Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Boone Co Water & Sewer District; Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report (2018–2025).
pH
Supplier's figure7–8.9
Typical 8.9
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Florence Water & Sewer; Cincinnati Public Water System, which supplies Boone Co Water & Sewer District; Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report (2018–2025).
Total dissolved solids
108–298 ppm
Typical 208 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: Northern Kentucky Water District's 2025 water quality report.
- Florence Water & Sewer, Boone Co Water & Sewer District and Northern Kentucky Water District add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
- Florence Water & Sewer and Boone Co Water & Sewer District soften their water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Florence, KY
Florence Water & Sewer
Serves 75% of residents · Buys water from Boone-Florence Water Commission · Chlorine
Boone Co Water & Sewer District
Serves 13% of residents · Buys water from Boone-Florence Water Commission · Chlorine
- 2025 water quality report
Northern Kentucky Water District
Serves 6% 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.