Shelbyville, KY tap water
Supplied mostly by Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission, plus 1 other utility. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chloramine
Your water is treated with chloramine. Unlike chlorine, it doesn't gas off when water sits out, and many pitcher and fridge filters aren't rated to remove it. Conditioners that list chloramine on the label break it apart, which frees a little ammonia. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
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 EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Nitrate (NO₃)
0.7–4.2 ppm (Low)
Typical 3.6 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data; Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission and Frankfort Plant Board and Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Shelby Water District (2012–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure128 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Shelby Water District (2025).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
pH
7.3–8.6
Typical 7.5
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data; Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission and Frankfort Plant Board and Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Shelby Water District (2012–2025).
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure225 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 the utility that supplies yours: Louisville Water Company, which supplies North Shelby Water District (2025).
- North Shelby Water District adds phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
- Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission and North Shelby Water District soften their water at the plant, so it may be softer than the local groundwater.
Who supplies Shelbyville, KY
Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission
Serves 90% of residents · Lake or river water · Chloramine
North Shelby Water District
Serves 6% of residents · Buys water from Shelbyville Water & Sewer Commission · Chloramine
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.
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Compiled by Shoal & Stem from public records. Free to cite with a link.