Scotts Valley, CA tap water
Supplied mostly by Scotts Valley Water District, 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
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)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
Copper at home taps
0.07–0.37 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.07 ppm
Low. Water that sits in household pipes overnight can carry more than this.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Water chemistry
General hardness
46–280 ppm
Typical 230 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2025).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
45–200 ppm
Typical 200 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From California Water Board lab results (2025).
pH
7.7–8.2
Typical 8.1
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From California Water Board lab results (2023–2026).
Total dissolved solids
140–510 ppm
Typical 360 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 (2023–2025).
Who supplies Scotts Valley, CA
Scotts Valley Water District
Serves 82% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
San Lorenzo Valley Water Dist
Serves 19% 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.