Shoal & Stem

McKinleyville, CA tap water

Supplied mostly by Mckinleyville C.S.D., plus 1 other utility. 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

Nitrate (NO₃)

Supplier's figure

Not detected (Low)

Not detected in testing, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.

From the utility that supplies yours: Humboldt Bay MWD, which supplies Mckinleyville C.S.D., measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2024).

Copper at home taps

0.31–0.81 ppm (Worth knowing)

Typical 0.31 ppm

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.

From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).

Water chemistry

General hardness

Supplier's figure

77 ppm

Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.

From the utility that supplies yours: Humboldt Bay MWD, which supplies Mckinleyville C.S.D., measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2025).

Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)

Supplier's figure

70 ppm

Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.

From the utility that supplies yours: Humboldt Bay MWD, which supplies Mckinleyville C.S.D., measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2025).

pH

Supplier's figure

7.1

Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.

From the utility that supplies yours: Humboldt Bay MWD, which supplies Mckinleyville C.S.D., measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2025).

Total dissolved solids

Supplier's figure

100 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: Humboldt Bay MWD, which supplies Mckinleyville C.S.D., measured before treatment; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2025).

Who supplies McKinleyville, CA

  • Mckinleyville C.S.D.

    Serves 99% of residents · Buys water from Humboldt Bay MWD · Chlorine

  • Humboldt Bay MWD

    Serves 48% 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.

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