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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in BL1, BoltonSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,767 samples, 16 substances, latest on 30 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 BL1 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.

Bromate came closest to a limit, at 40% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Nitrite: 0.0075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%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%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Aluminium: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Nitrate: 2.08 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Ammonia: 0.0321 mg/L, 6% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia6%Iron: 0.014 mg/L, 7% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron7%Nickel: 0.00145 mg/L, 7% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel7%Manganese: 0.00479 mg/L, 10% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese10%Trihalomethanes: 0.0206 mg/L, 21% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes21%Bromate: 0.004 mg/L, 40% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate40%
  1. Bromate40%
  2. Trihalomethanes21%
  3. Manganese10%
  4. Nickel7%
  5. Iron7%
  6. Ammonia6%
  7. Antimony6%
  8. Lead6%
  9. Turbidity5%
  10. Nitrate4%
  11. Aluminium3%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.014 mg/L0.2 mg/L
7%
Manganese0.00479 mg/L0.05 mg/L
10%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Trihalomethanes0.0206 mg/L0.1 mg/L
21%
Nitrate2.08 mg/L50 mg/L
4%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00145 mg/L0.02 mg/L
7%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
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%
Bromate0.004 mg/L0.01 mg/L
40%

24mg 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 Tonge, rated moderate

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

132

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 7 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.035 µg/L, at River Irwell at Old Ringley Bridge, 7.7 km away, in May 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

BL1 in short

Tap water in BL1 (Bolton) is supplied by United Utilities in the Bolton 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 30 December 2024.

  • 6th cleanest of 7 areas tested in Bolton1 area in Bolton scored lower. The best is BL4 on 9.5.
  • Bromate is the reading closest to its limit, at 40% of the 0.01 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • Soft water at 24 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in BL1, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured

Next door

BL49.5 out of 10 · 21 mg/LBL29.4 out of 10 · 37 mg/LBL39.2 out of 10 · 21 mg/LBL119.3 out of 10 · 21 mg/LBL69.5 out of 10 · 21 mg/LBL59.5 out of 10 · 21 mg/L

Questions about BL1 water

Is BL1 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, BL1 (Bolton) 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 BL1 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in BL1 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 BL1?

BL1 (Bolton) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is BL1 water hard or soft?

Water in BL1 (Bolton) has a hardness of 24 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in BL1?

BL1 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 BL1 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for BL1 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 132 river and groundwater samples from 7 sites within 10 km of BL1, the highest being PFOA at 0.035 µg/L about 7.7 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 BL1?

The Environment Agency rated the Tonge as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by fish and 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 BL1, 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 BL1

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
pH7.71 pHNone
Temperature16.6 °CNone
Conductivity153 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.041 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.68 mg/LNone
Nitrite0.0042 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Ammonia0.049 mg/L0.5 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for BL1.

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