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England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in B8, BirminghamSafe to drink.

Supplied by Severn Trent. 835 samples, 20 substances, latest on 22 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.3 / 10

The tank is as full as the score.

What to do about it

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of B8 water

Every bubble is a substance the lab measured. The higher it floats, the closer it came to its legal limit, the dashed line at the top.

Fluoride came closest to a limit, at 47% of it. 15 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0032 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Selenium: 0.00007 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Cadmium: 0.00002 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Nitrite: 0.003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Chromium: 0.00042 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Antimony: 0.000059 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony1%Arsenic: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Lead: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Manganese: 0.00073 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Colour: 0.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 4% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour4%Nickel: 0.001 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Aluminium: 0.021 mg/L, 11% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium11%Nitrate: 5.8 mg/L, 12% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate12%Trihalomethanes: 0.0306 mg/L, 31% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes31%Fluoride: 0.71 mg/L, 47% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride47%
  1. Fluoride47%
  2. Trihalomethanes31%
  3. Nitrate12%
  4. Aluminium11%
  5. Nickel5%
  6. Colour4%
  7. Iron3%
  8. Turbidity3%
  9. Manganese1%
  10. Arsenic1%
  11. Lead1%
  12. Antimony1%
  13. Chromium<1%
  14. Nitrite<1%
  15. Cadmium<1%
  16. Selenium<1%
  17. Copper<1%
  • pH 8.15 pH
  • Conductivity 139 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 0.587 mg/L
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00073 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
pH8.15 pHNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.021 mg/L0.2 mg/L
11%
Colour0.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
Conductivity139 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Copper0.0032 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.71 mg/L1.5 mg/L
47%
Arsenic0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Cadmium0.00002 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00042 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.001 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.000059 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00007 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%
Nitrate5.8 mg/L50 mg/L
12%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0306 mg/L0.1 mg/L
31%
Phosphate0.587 mg/LNo legal limit–
Outside your tap

Your river is the Tame - R Rea to R Blythe, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Tame - R Rea to R Blythe as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, phosphate and fish. It fails the chemical test, as every river, estuary and stretch of coast in England does, because of long-lasting pollutants such as mercury, PFOS (a forever chemical) and old flame retardants.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

Within 10 km

48

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 5 sites. The highest was PFOS (linear) at 0.01 µg/L, at River Cole - Coleshill, 9.1 km away, in November 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

Every PFAS sample around Birmingham · Which filters remove PFAS · PFAS explained

B8 in short

Tap water in B8 (Birmingham) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Birmingham Central zone and scores 9.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 20 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 22 December 2025.

  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 47% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 23rd cleanest of 42 areas tested in BirminghamSquarely mid-table for Birmingham, between B2 on 9.6 and B7 on 8.5. Every area in Birmingham
  • PFAS found at 5 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOS (linear) about 9.1 km away. What was measured

Next door

B39.3 out of 10B48.9 out of 10B58.9 out of 10B99.1 out of 10B109.3 out of 10B119.3 out of 10B159.2 out of 10B139.1 out of 10B29.6 out of 10B149.3 out of 10

Questions about B8 water

Is B8 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, B8 (Birmingham) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.

What contaminants are in B8 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in B8 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels. PFAS (forever chemicals) were also measured in rivers and groundwater within 10 km, though not in the tap-water tests themselves.

Who supplies water in B8?

B8 (Birmingham) is supplied by Severn Trent. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Should I use a water filter in B8?

B8 water scored 9.3/10 with no contaminants above recommended levels. A filter is optional but can improve taste, especially if you notice a chlorine flavour. See our filter recommendations for your area.

Are there PFAS forever chemicals in B8 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for B8 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 48 river and groundwater samples from 5 sites within 10 km of B8, the highest being PFOS (linear) at 0.01 µg/L about 9.1 km away. These are environmental samples, not tests of tap water. The UK currently has no legal limit for PFAS in drinking water; the Drinking Water Inspectorate uses a 0.1 µg/L guideline for individual compounds. Reverse osmosis filters can reduce PFAS levels.

How clean is the river near B8?

The Environment Agency rated the Tame - R Rea to R Blythe as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, phosphate and fish. It fails the chemical test, as every river, estuary and stretch of coast in England does, because of long-lasting pollutants such as mercury, PFOS (a forever chemical) and old flame retardants. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in B8, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsAll of BirminghamUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near B8

Environment Agency samples from rivers, groundwater and reservoirs nearby. Not your tap water. For scale they are shown against drinking water limits; rivers are judged against much stricter environmental standards, and on those every river in England fails for chemicals.

SubstanceReadingDrinking water limit
Nickel0.0274 mg/L0.02 mg/L
pH8.04 pHNone
Temperature7.5 °CNone
Conductivity1001 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.21 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate8.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.084 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.06 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.3 mg/LNone
Copper0.0051 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0583 mg/LNone
Cadmium0.00013 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)334 mg/LNone
Chromium0.0053 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Arsenic0.0024 mg/L0.01 mg/L

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Source: Severn Trent test results, published through the Stream Water Data Portal; rivers and PFAS from the Environment Agency. Page updated . How we score · Where the data comes from