I don't think my water quality report is helping me

Since I'm going all-grain, I requested a copy of my water quality report. Since my water district is tiny, I don't think they have as rigorous the testing requirements of larger systems.

This is all its giving me:

Aluminum - 0.005 mg/l
Asbestos - non detect
Arsenic - 0.005 mg/l

Barium - 0.1 mg/l
Chromium - 0.01 mg/l
Cyanide - 0.002 mg/l

Fluorine - 0.3 mg/l
Mercury - non detect
Nitrate - 0.9 mg/l

Nitrite - non detect
Selenium - 0.002 mg/l
Sodium - 27 mg/l

Sulfate - 30 mg/l
TDS - 548 mg/l
Turbidity - 0.03 - 1 NTU

Zinc - 0.01 mg/l
Copper - 0.9 mg/l
Lead - 0.008 mg/l

It gives me nothing on Calcium, Bicarbonate, Magnesium, or Cloride.

I know from living here for 7 years my water is hard. Hard enough that I have to take lime remover to my dishes and glasses at least every 5 years to get the spots off of them.

My concern is that a large portion of the 548 mg/l of TDS is bicarbonate.

Do you think I should keep some gypsum and a pH meter on hand for my first mash?

I keep a bottle of pH strips in my brewing storage just so I can check my mash every brewday. I always end up around 5.1-5.4 depending on what grains I'm using, so I know my water is good for brewing.

Anyways, try calling your water dept. Some of them have the information you need, they just don't publish it because it's either not required or not information that people really need to know.

You could try this

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/how-send-water-ward-labs-test-129581/

I had to send a sample to Ward's Labs. Our water department only has to ensure safety, not the exact mineral composition, so I had to send out my own for a report. It was around $16, so it was worth it! I knew my water was hard and alkaline, but didn't know the calcium and sulfate amounts so I'm glad I did it.

I got a thing from my water dept too, and it only listed a few items. The city said they would collect a sample and get a full report for me for free. Call your city before doing a Wards lab analysis. Who knows, you might get a free test!

And pigs might fly too. By the time the water engineer even returned my call (not with results, but just to ask what I was looking for), I had my ward results back with exact numbers. It's probably the best $20 I've spent on brewing. Seriously though, if you can get a free report great, but don't hold your breath.