Palo Cedro, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by Bella Vista Water 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 California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
Nitrate (NO₃)
0.5–7.6 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.5 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From California Water Board lab results; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2026).
Copper at home taps
0.07–0.37 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.15 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 (2024–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
44 ppm
Soft. Good for tetras, rasboras and most shrimp. Livebearers, snails and African cichlids prefer harder water.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
48 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
pH
7.4
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From California Water Board lab results; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2025).
Total dissolved solids
74–232 ppm
Typical 74 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; California Water Board lab results, measured before treatment (2023–2025).
Who supplies Palo Cedro, CA
Bella Vista Water District
Serves 55% of residents · Lake or river water · Chlorine
Mel Mar Mutual Water Co
Serves 13% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Disinfectant not listed
Shasta Co Csa # 8 Palo Cedro
Serves 5% 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.
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Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.