Ocean City, MD tap water
Supplied by Town of Ocean City. Here's what its 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)
1.7–1.8 ppm (Low)
Typical 1.8 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Area estimate10–203 ppm
Typical 70 ppm
Soft. Good for tetras, rasboras and most shrimp. Livebearers, snails and African cichlids prefer harder water.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2000–2023).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Area estimate8–206 ppm
Typical 38 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2000–2023).
pH
Area estimate5.3–7.3
Typical 6.4
Acidic. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2000–2023).
Total dissolved solids
Area estimate53–293 ppm
Typical 117 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 (2000–2023).
Who supplies Ocean City, MD
Town of Ocean City
Serves 99% 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.