Wausau, WI tap water
Supplied by Wausau Waterworks. Here's what its 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)
Up to 0.03 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.02 ppm
Essentially none, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From EPA monitoring data (2014–2017).
Nitrate (NO₃)
2.1–2.3 ppm (Low)
Typical 2.2 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Area estimate287–378 ppm
Typical 297 ppm
Hard. Ideal for livebearers and African cichlids. Soft-water species may struggle to breed.
Area estimate from nearby wells: USGS well samples in your county (2002–2023).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
72–77 ppm
Typical 76 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From EPA monitoring data (2014–2017).
pH
8.8
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data (2017).
Total dissolved solids
Area estimate276–438 ppm
Typical 279 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 county (2002–2023).
Who supplies Wausau, WI
Wausau Waterworks
Serves all residents · Groundwater (wells) · 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.
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.