Occidental, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by Occidental Community Services District, plus 2 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 (2015–2019).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; EPA monitoring data (2015–2025).
Copper at home taps
Up to 0.23 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.18 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
58–180 ppm
Typical 140 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2026).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
62–200 ppm
Typical 130 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2026).
pH
7.1–7.6
Typical 7.1
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment; EPA monitoring data (2015–2024).
Total dissolved solids
160–270 ppm
Typical 160 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 California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2026).
- Occidental Community Services District and Camp Meeker Water System add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Occidental, CA
Occidental Community Services District
Serves 44% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Camp Meeker Water System
Serves 25% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Sonoma County Csa 41-Freestone
Serves 8% of residents · Lake or river water · 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.
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Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.