Keystone, FL tap water
Supplied mostly by Hcwrc/Northwest Utilities, plus 1 other utility. 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 a little ammonia. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Nitrite (NO₂)
Up to 0.15 ppm (Low)
Typically not detected
Not detected in testing, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From EPA monitoring data; Pasco County Utilities - Pasco County Regional Water System's 2024 water quality report (2012–2024).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Up to 6.3 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.8 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data; Pasco County Utilities - Pasco County Regional Water System's 2024 water quality report (2012–2024).
Copper at home taps (first draw)
0.97 ppm (High)
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: Pasco County Utilities - Pasco County Regional Water System's 2024 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure211 ppm
Moderately hard. Great for livebearers, and most community fish adapt.
From the utility that supplies yours: City of Tampa Water Department, which supplies Hcwrc/Northwest Utilities (2025).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure98–266 ppm
Typical 182 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From the utility that supplies yours: Tampa Bay Water Reg. Surface Water Plant and Tampa Bay Water Morris Bridge Pump Stati, which supplies Hcwrc/Northwest Utilities; Tampa Bay Water -Cypress Creek and Tampa Bay Water Reg. Surface Water Plant, which supplies Pasco County Utilities - Pasco County Regional Water System (2019).
pH
7.1–8
Typical 7.9
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data (2014–2017).
- Hcwrc/Northwest Utilities softens its water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Keystone, FL
Hcwrc/Northwest Utilities
Serves 74% of residents · Buys water from Tampa Bay Regional Groundwater Plant · Chloramine
- 2024 water quality report
Pasco County Utilities - Pasco County Regional Water System
Serves 6% of residents · Buys water from Tampa Bay Water -Cypress Creek · 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.