Kansas City, MO tap water
Supplied by Kansas City PWS. Here's what its 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 a little ammonia. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
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)
7.1 ppm (Low)
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Copper at home taps (first draw)
Not detected (Low)
The 90th percentile of first-draw samples from homes: water that sat in household pipes for at least six hours.
Not detected in testing. Water that sits in household pipes overnight can still pick some up.
Published by your utility: Kansas City PWS's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
123 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
Published by your utility: Kansas City PWS's 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
60–216 ppm
Typical 60 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
Published by your utility: Kansas City PWS's 2025 water quality report.
pH
9.7–10.1
Typical 9.7
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
Published by your utility: Kansas City PWS's 2025 water quality report.
Total dissolved solids
322–340 ppm
Typical 322 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: Kansas City PWS's 2025 water quality report.
- Kansas City PWS softens its water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Kansas City, MO
- 2025 water quality report
Kansas City PWS
Serves 99% of residents · Lake or river water · 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.
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.