Goose Creek, SC tap water
Supplied mostly by Goose Creek City of (SC0810004), plus 2 other utilities. 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 about 0.73 ppm of ammonia here. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Ammonia (with conditioner)
EstimateUp to 0.73 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.73 ppm
This is what a conditioner frees when it breaks the chloramine apart. A cycled filter clears it within a day; a big water change in a new or very small tank adds more of it at once. Some conditioners also bind ammonia for a day or so.
Estimated from the chloramine level Charleston Water System reports (2025).
Nitrite (NO₂)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From EPA monitoring data (2017).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figure0.6–1 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.6 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From the utility that supplies yours: Charleston Water System, which supplies Goose Creek City of (SC0810004); Charleston Water System's 2025 water quality report; Charleston Water System and Lake Moultrie Regional WS, which supplies Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) (2012–2025).
Copper at home taps (first draw)
Up to 0.26 ppm (Low)
The 90th percentile of first-draw samples from homes: water that sat in household pipes for at least six hours.
Low. Water that sits in household pipes overnight can carry more than this.
Published by your utility: Charleston Water System's 2025 water quality report.
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0–3 ppm
Typical 3 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: Charleston Water System's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure54 ppm
Soft. Good for tetras, rasboras and most shrimp. Livebearers, snails and African cichlids prefer harder water.
From the utility that supplies yours: Charleston Water System, which supplies Goose Creek City of (SC0810004); Charleston Water System's 2025 water quality report; Charleston Water System, which supplies Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure25–29 ppm
Typical 29 ppm
Little buffering. pH can drop quickly between water changes, especially with CO₂ or an older tank.
From the utility that supplies yours: Charleston Water System, which supplies Goose Creek City of (SC0810004); Charleston Water System's 2025 water quality report; Charleston Water System and Lake Moultrie Regional WS, which supplies Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) (2012–2025).
pH
Supplier's figure8–8.2
Typical 8.1
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: Charleston Water System, which supplies Goose Creek City of (SC0810004); EPA monitoring data; Charleston Water System, which supplies Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) (2012–2019).
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure100 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 the utility that supplies yours: Charleston Water System, which supplies Goose Creek City of (SC0810004); Charleston Water System's 2025 water quality report; Charleston Water System, which supplies Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002).
- Goose Creek City of (SC0810004), Charleston Water System and Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Goose Creek, SC
Goose Creek City of (SC0810004)
Serves 64% of residents · Buys water from Charleston Water System (SC1010001) · Chloramine
- 2025 water quality report
Charleston Water System
Serves 23% of residents · Lake or river water · Chloramine
Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002)
Serves 7% of residents · Buys water from Charleston Water System (SC1010001) · 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.