Sacramento, CA tap water
Supplied by City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities. 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
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)
4.4–13 ppm (Low)
Typical 4.4 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
Published by your utility: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities' 2025 water quality report.
Copper at home taps (first draw)
0.06 ppm (Low)
The 90th percentile of first-draw samples from homes: water that sat in household pipes for at least six hours.
Low. Water that sits in household pipes overnight can carry more than this.
Published by your utility: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities' 2025 water quality report.
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.2–1.4 ppm
Typical 0.8 ppm
At tap levels, chlorine and chloramine are toxic to fish, shrimp and the bacteria in a filter. Water conditioners are made for this range.
Published by your utility: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities' 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
15–154 ppm
Typical 83 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
Published by your utility: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities' 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
25–150 ppm
Typical 99 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
Published by your utility: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities' 2025 water quality report.
pH
8.3–8.4
Typical 8.3
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
Total dissolved solids
47–280 ppm
Typical 205 ppm
A rough measure of everything dissolved in the water. RO water reads near 0, so TDS is a quick way to compare waters.
Published by your utility: City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities' 2025 water quality report.
- City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities softens its water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Sacramento, CA
- 2025 water quality report
City of Sacramento, Department of Utilities
Serves 98% 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.
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.