Maine, WI tap water
About 17% of Maine is inside a utility's service area. Homes outside it likely use private wells, which no utility tests.
Disinfectant
Chlorine or chloramine
Utilities here use chlorine or chloramine, depending on which one serves your address. Chlorine slowly gases off from standing water; chloramine doesn't. Private wells aren't treated by a utility, so there's no chlorine or chloramine unless a treatment system adds it.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Nitrite (NO₂)
Up to 0.03 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.02 ppm
Essentially none, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From EPA monitoring data (2014–2017).
Nitrate (NO₃)
2.1–2.3 ppm (Low)
Typical 2.2 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Area estimate287–378 ppm
Typical 297 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2023).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
32–77 ppm
Typical 76 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From EPA monitoring data (2014–2017).
pH
6.3–8.8
Typical 8.8
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data (2017).
Total dissolved solids
Area estimate276–438 ppm
Typical 279 ppm
A rough measure of everything dissolved in the water. RO water reads near 0, so TDS is a quick way to compare waters.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2023).
Who supplies Maine, WI
Wausau Waterworks
Serves 10% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chloramine
Maine Water Utility
Serves 8% 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.