Salem, AR tap water
Supplied mostly by Salem Waterworks, plus 1 other utility. 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 estimate0.2–21 ppm (Low)
Typical 2.1 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your state (2000–2023).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure17–29 ppm
Typical 23 ppm
Soft. Good for tetras, rasboras and most shrimp. Livebearers, snails and African cichlids prefer harder water.
From the utility that supplies yours: Central Arkansas Water, which supplies Salem Water Users LLC.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Area estimate10–359 ppm
Typical 173 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your state (2000–2023).
pH
Area estimate6.2–8.1
Typical 7.1
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your state (2000–2023).
Total dissolved solids
Area estimate92–586 ppm
Typical 230 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 state (2000–2020).
- Salem Water Users LLC adds phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Salem, AR
Salem Waterworks
Serves 62% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
Salem Water Users LLC
Serves 48% of residents · Buys water from Benton Waterworks · 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.