Salem, NC tap water
Supplied mostly by City of Morganton, 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)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data; City of Morganton, which supplies Brentwood Water Association (2012–2019).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
16 ppm
Little buffering. pH can drop quickly between water changes, especially with CO₂ or an older tank.
From EPA monitoring data, measured before treatment; City of Morganton, which supplies Brentwood Water Association, measured before treatment (2012–2019).
pH
7.2
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data; City of Morganton, which supplies Brentwood Water Association (2012–2019).
- City of Morganton and Brentwood Water Association add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Salem, NC
City of Morganton
Serves 71% of residents · Lake or river water · Chlorine
Brentwood Water Association
Serves 28% of residents · Buys water from City of Morganton · 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.