South Elgin, IL tap water
Supplied mostly by South Elgin, plus 1 other utility. Here's what the water means for your fish.
Disinfectant
Chlorine or chloramine
Utilities here use chlorine or chloramine, depending on which one serves your address. Chlorine slowly gases off from standing water; chloramine doesn't.
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 (2012–2018).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Up to 5.6 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.5 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (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)
79–360 ppm
Typical 330 ppm
Strong buffering. pH stays steady and hard to lower without RO water.
From EPA monitoring data (2017–2019).
pH
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
- South Elgin and City of Elgin add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies South Elgin, IL
South Elgin
Serves 93% of residents · Groundwater (wells) · Chlorine
- 2026 water quality report
City of Elgin
Serves 5% of residents · Lake or river water · 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.