Wheat Ridge, CO tap water
Supplied mostly by Wheat Ridge Water District, plus 2 other utilities. 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 (2013).
Nitrate (NO₃)
Supplier's figure0.3–0.8 ppm (Low)
Typical 0.4 ppm
Low, so water changes lower your tank's nitrate well.
From the utility that supplies yours: Denver Water Board, which supplies Wheat Ridge Water District; EPA monitoring data; Denver Water Board, which supplies Valley WD (2012–2025).
Water chemistry
General hardness
Supplier's figure55–124 ppm
Typical 105 ppm
Moderately soft to medium. Suits most community fish and plants.
From the utility that supplies yours: Denver Water Board, which supplies Wheat Ridge Water District; Denver Water Board, which supplies Valley WD (2025).
Carbonate hardness (alkalinity)
Supplier's figure41–82 ppm
Typical 65 ppm
Moderate buffering. pH should stay fairly steady.
From the utility that supplies yours: Denver Water Board, which supplies Wheat Ridge Water District; Denver Water Board, which supplies Valley WD (2025).
pH
Not published yet
We haven't found this number yet. A drop test kit gives you your exact reading.
Total dissolved solids
Supplier's figure98–273 ppm
Typical 220 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: Denver Water Board, which supplies Wheat Ridge Water District; Denver Water Board, which supplies Valley WD (2025).
- Wheat Ridge Water District, Consolidated Mutual Maple Grove and Valley WD add phosphate to protect pipes. It can feed algae in tanks without much plant growth.
Who supplies Wheat Ridge, CO
Wheat Ridge Water District
Serves 54% of residents · Buys water from Denver Water Board · Chloramine
Consolidated Mutual Maple Grove
Serves 27% of residents · Lake or river water · Chloramine
Valley WD
Serves 19% of residents · Buys water from Denver Water Board · 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.