Wells Branch, TX tap water
Supplied mostly by Wells Branch MUD 1, 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 about 0.56 ppm of ammonia here. Some utilities switch to plain chlorine for a few weeks a year.
Safety for fish and shrimp
Ammonia (with conditioner)
Estimate0.01–0.75 ppm (Worth knowing)
Typical 0.56 ppm
This is what a conditioner frees when it breaks the chloramine apart. A cycled filter clears it within a day; a big water change in a new or very small tank adds more of it at once. Some conditioners also bind ammonia for a day or so.
Estimated from the chloramine level City of Austin Water & Wastewater reports (2025).
Nitrite (NO₂)
Not detected (Low)
Not detected in testing, so any nitrite in your tank comes from the tank itself.
From EPA monitoring data (2013–2015).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figureUp to 0.5 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.2 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From the utility that supplies yours: City of Austin Water & Wastewater, which supplies Wells Branch MUD 1; City of Austin Water & Wastewater's 2025 water quality report.
Chlorine or chloramine at the tap
0.1–3.1 ppm
Typical 2.3 ppm
At tap levels, chlorine and chloramine are toxic to fish, shrimp and the bacteria in a filter. Water conditioners are made for this range.
Published by your utility: City of Austin Water & Wastewater's 2025 water quality report.
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure70–126 ppm
Typical 93 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: City of Austin Water & Wastewater, which supplies Wells Branch MUD 1; City of Austin Water & Wastewater's 2025 water quality report.
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure57–70 ppm
Typical 60 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From the utility that supplies yours: City of Austin Water & Wastewater, which supplies Wells Branch MUD 1; EPA monitoring data (2012–2019).
pH
Supplier's figure9.2–9.3
Typical 9.3
Alkaline. Many utilities raise pH to protect pipes. Stability matters more than the exact number.
From the utility that supplies yours: City of Austin Water & Wastewater, which supplies Wells Branch MUD 1; EPA monitoring data (2012).
- Wells Branch MUD 1 and City of Austin Water & Wastewater add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Wells Branch, TX
Wells Branch MUD 1
Serves 85% of residents · Buys water from City of Austin Water & Wastewater · Chloramine
- 2025 water quality report
City of Austin Water & Wastewater
Serves 14% 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.