Wellesley, MA tap water
Supplied mostly by Wellesley Water Division, 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 (2014–2017).
Nitrate (NO₃)
1.9–11 ppm (Low)
Typical 3.2 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure16 ppm
Soft. Good for tetras, rasboras and most shrimp. Livebearers, snails and African cichlids prefer harder water.
From the utility that supplies yours: MWRA, which supplies Wellesley Water Division.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
93 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From EPA monitoring data (2012).
pH
7.2–7.7
Typical 7.2
Most community fish do well here. Stable water matters more than the exact number.
From EPA monitoring data (2012).
- Wellesley Water Division and Wellesley College add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Wellesley, MA
Wellesley Water Division
Serves 89% of residents · Buys water from MWRA · Chloramine
Wellesley College
Serves 7% of 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.