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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in BB7, Ribble ValleySafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,101 samples, 16 substances, latest on 24 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.2 / 10

The tank is as full as the score. The specks are the minerals that make water hard.

What to do about it

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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of BB7 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.

Trihalomethanes came closest to a limit, at 29% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000129 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Manganese: 0.0012 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Nitrate: 2.44 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Aluminium: 0.0114 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Bromate: 0.00084 mg/L, 8% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate8%Turbidity: 0.4 NTU, 10% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity10%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Iron: 0.0362 mg/L, 18% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron18%Lead: 0.00188 mg/L, 19% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead19%Trihalomethanes: 0.0286 mg/L, 29% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes29%
  1. Trihalomethanes29%
  2. Lead19%
  3. Iron18%
  4. Ammonia11%
  5. Turbidity10%
  6. Bromate8%
  7. Antimony6%
  8. Aluminium6%
  9. Nitrate5%
  10. Nickel4%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Nitrite2%
  14. Cadmium2%
  15. Chromium2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.4 NTU4 NTU
10%
Trihalomethanes0.0286 mg/L0.1 mg/L
29%
Aluminium0.0114 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.0362 mg/L0.2 mg/L
18%
Manganese0.0012 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.00084 mg/L0.01 mg/L
8%
Nitrate2.44 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Copper0.0000129 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00188 mg/L0.01 mg/L
19%

56mg of limescale minerals in every litre

Soft water. Kind to kettles, boilers and skin

You will not need a softener here, and you will use less soap and detergent than most of England.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your river is the Mearley Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Mearley Brook as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae. 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

100

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 9 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.02 µg/L, at River Ribble at Mitton Bridge, 4.1 km away, in January 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

BB7 in short

Tap water in BB7 (Ribble Valley) is supplied by United Utilities in the Ribble Valley Central zone and scores 9.2 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 24 December 2024.

  • Soft water at 56 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in BB7, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • PFAS found at 9 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 4.1 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 29% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Questions about BB7 water

Is BB7 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, BB7 (Ribble Valley) water scores 9.2/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in BB7 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in BB7 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 BB7?

BB7 (Ribble Valley) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is BB7 water hard or soft?

Water in BB7 (Ribble Valley) has a hardness of 56 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in BB7?

BB7 water scored 9.2/10 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 BB7 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for BB7 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 100 river and groundwater samples from 9 sites within 10 km of BB7, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.02 µg/L about 4.1 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 BB7?

The Environment Agency rated the Mearley Brook as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae. 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 BB7, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near BB7

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
pH8.12 pHNone
Temperature12.2 °CNone
Conductivity1765 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.34 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate3.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.12 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.03 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.75 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.0013 µg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for BB7.

Source: United Utilities 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