Rochester, MI tap water
Supplied mostly by Rochester, 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
Nitrate (NO₃)
Area estimate0.1–36 ppm (Low)
Typical 7.6 ppm
Water changes can't take your tank's nitrate below this level.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2000–2016).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Area estimate219–472 ppm
Typical 338 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 (2000–2023).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Area estimate227–346 ppm
Typical 279 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2000–2023).
pH
Area estimate7.2–7.6
Typical 7.3
Most community fish do well here. 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 estimate277–794 ppm
Typical 375 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).
- Rochester East and Rochester Hills add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Rochester, MI
Rochester
Serves 51% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Rochester East
Serves 42% of residents · Buys water from Great Lakes Water Authority · Chlorine
Rochester Hills
Serves 6% of residents · Buys water from Great Lakes Water Authority · 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.