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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in BD21, BradfordSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 1,202 samples, 25 substances, latest on 15 September 2026. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.7 / 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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of BD21 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 26% of it. 19 of 20 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.00458 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.00019 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Cadmium: 0.000031 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Antimony: 0.000034 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony<1%Lead: 0.00009 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Boron: 0.0109 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Arsenic: 0.00015 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Nitrite: 0.008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Bromate: 0.0003 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Fluoride: 0.05 mg/L, 3% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride3%Manganese: 0.00178 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Turbidity: 0.15 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Iron: 0.00928 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Nickel: 0.00121 mg/L, 6% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel6%Nitrate: 3.73 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Aluminium: 0.0159 mg/L, 8% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium8%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0259 mg/L, 26% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes26%
  1. Trihalomethanes26%
  2. Colour15%
  3. Aluminium8%
  4. Nitrate7%
  5. Nickel6%
  6. Iron5%
  7. Mercury4%
  8. Turbidity4%
  9. Manganese4%
  10. Fluoride3%
  11. Bromate3%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Arsenic1%
  14. Boron1%
  15. Selenium1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Antimony<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  19. Chromium<1%
  20. Copper<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 140 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 1 mg/L
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron0.00928 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Manganese0.00178 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Nitrate3.73 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Aluminium0.0159 mg/L0.2 mg/L
8%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Turbidity0.15 NTU4 NTU
4%
Conductivity140 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Phosphate1 mg/LNo legal limit–
Boron0.0109 mg/L1 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.00121 mg/L0.02 mg/L
6%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0259 mg/L0.1 mg/L
26%
Fluoride0.05 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%
Lead0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Bromate0.0003 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Copper0.00458 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.000034 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Hardness (as CaCO3)42.5 mg/LNo legal limit–

46mg 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 North Beck from Source to River Worth, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the North Beck from Source to River Worth as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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

25

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.011 µg/L, at RSN1156 River Aire D/S Loadpit Beck, 7.4 km away, in April 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

BD21 in short

Tap water in BD21 (Bradford) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the Bradford Central zone and scores 9.7 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 25 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 15 September 2026.

  • 2nd cleanest of 21 areas tested in BradfordOnly 1 area in Bradford scored higher. The best is BD16 on 9.7. Every area in Bradford
  • Soft water at 46 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in BD21, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area

Next door

BD29.6 out of 10 · 89 mg/LBD149.5 out of 10 · 63 mg/LBD229.7 out of 10 · 47 mg/LBD19.5 out of 10 · 57 mg/LBD89.5 out of 10 · 77 mg/LBD129.5 out of 10 · 89 mg/LBD159.6 out of 10 · 90 mg/LBD169.7 out of 10 · 69 mg/LBD179.6 out of 10 · 46 mg/LBD189.5 out of 10 · 75 mg/L

Questions about BD21 water

Is BD21 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, BD21 (Bradford) water scores 9.7/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in BD21 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in BD21 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 BD21?

BD21 (Bradford) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is BD21 water hard or soft?

Water in BD21 (Bradford) has a hardness of 46 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in BD21?

BD21 water scored 9.7/10 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 BD21 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for BD21 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 25 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of BD21, the highest being PFOA at 0.011 µg/L about 7.4 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 BD21?

The Environment Agency rated the North Beck from Source to River Worth as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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 BD21, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near BD21

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
Lead0.00049 mg/L0.01 mg/L
pH7.97 pHNone
Zinc0.0019 mg/LNone
Temperature5.4 °CNone
Conductivity178 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.067 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.012 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.034 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen13 mg/LNone
Copper0.00446 mg/L2 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)65 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for BD21.

Source: Yorkshire Water 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