Jacksonville, NC tap water
Supplied mostly by City of Jacksonville, plus 4 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)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Copper at home taps (first draw)
0.38 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: Onslow Water and Sewer Authority's 2022 water quality report.
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.3–2.3 ppm
Typical 1.3 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: Onslow Water and Sewer Authority's 2022 water quality report.
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)
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
pH
7.6–8.8
Typical 8.5
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data; Onslow Water and Sewer Authority's 2022 water quality report (2012–2022).
- City of Jacksonville, Onslow Water and Sewer Authority and Usmc Lejeune--New River Air St add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
- City of Jacksonville, Usmc Lejeune--Hadnot Point, Usmc Lejeune--Holcomb Blvd, Onslow Water and Sewer Authority and Usmc Lejeune--New River Air St soften their water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Jacksonville, NC
City of Jacksonville
Serves 44% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Usmc Lejeune--Hadnot Point
Serves 18% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Usmc Lejeune--Holcomb Blvd
Serves 15% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
- 2022 water quality report
Onslow Water and Sewer Authority
Serves 12% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Usmc Lejeune--New River Air St
Serves 9% 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.