Town of Cary
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Water makes up more than 90 percent of beer and more than 98 percent of coffee, meaning it takes high quality water to make high quality beer and coffee. With that in mind, here are some common water quality characteristics brewers evaluate before making a new batch. This data is updated annually:
| Water Quality Characteristic | Average | Range (ppm*) |
| Alkalinity, as CaCO3 | 38.2 | 29.5 - 46.5 |
| Bicarbonate Estimate (Alk x1.22) | 47.0 | 36.0 - 56.7 |
| Calcium | 8.98 | 7.69 - 10.18 |
| Carbonate Estimate (Alk x 0.60) | 22.9 | 17.7 - 27.9 |
| Chloramines (mid-April to February) | 2.91 | 1.12 - 4.00 |
| Chlorine, free (March - mid-April) | 2.19 | 0.52 - 3.53 |
| Magnesium | 2.64 | 1.75 - 3.22 |
| Potassium | No Results |
Assume Negligible |
| Sodium |
33 |
No range |
| Sulfate | 38 | No range |
*ppm is parts per million
For more information on Cary’s water characteristics, view the Water Quality Report and the Water Quality Testing Summary. Please keep in mind that Cary usually switches from using chloramine disinfectant to chlorine in March/April.
Contact
Rachel Monschein
Water System Laboratory Supervisor
rachel.monschein@carync.gov
(919) 362-5507