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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CA16, Westmorland and FurnessSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 532 samples, 16 substances, latest on 27 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

9.0 / 10

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

What to do about it

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

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£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

£25typical price

Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of CA16 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.

Nitrate came closest to a limit, at 71% of it. 14 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000183 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00045 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<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%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Aluminium: 0.00903 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.00051 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%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%Nickel: 0.0019 mg/L, 10% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel10%Trihalomethanes: 0.0263 mg/L, 26% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes26%Nitrate: 35.3 mg/L, 71% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate71%
  1. Nitrate71%
  2. Trihalomethanes26%
  3. Nickel10%
  4. Ammonia6%
  5. Antimony6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Turbidity5%
  9. Aluminium5%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Chromium2%
  14. Nitrite2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
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%
Nitrate35.3 mg/L50 mg/L
71%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Copper0.0000183 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.0019 mg/L0.02 mg/L
10%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00051 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Aluminium0.00903 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0263 mg/L0.1 mg/L
26%

22mg 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 Eden - Scandal Beck to Lyvennet, rated good

The Environment Agency rated the Eden - Scandal Beck to Lyvennet as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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

CA16 in short

Tap water in CA16 (Westmorland and Furness) is supplied by United Utilities in the Westmorland and Furness Central zone and scores 9.0 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 27 December 2024.

  • The lowest score of the 19 areas tested in Westmorland and FurnessCA16 scores 9 out of 10. The best in Westmorland and Furness, LA12, scores 9.6.
  • Every one of the 10 neighbouring districts scores higherLA12 next door scores 9.6, against 9 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See LA12
  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 71% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading

Questions about CA16 water

Is CA16 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CA16 (Westmorland and Furness) water scores 9/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CA16 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in CA16 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in CA16?

CA16 (Westmorland and Furness) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CA16 water hard or soft?

Water in CA16 (Westmorland and Furness) has a hardness of 22 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in CA16?

CA16 water scored 9/10 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 CA16 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for CA16, and the Environment Agency has no PFAS detections in rivers or groundwater within 10 km of it. That reflects where sampling has happened as much as the water itself.

How clean is the river near CA16?

The Environment Agency rated the Eden - Scandal Beck to Lyvennet as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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 CA16, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near CA16

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
pH8.14 pHNone
Temperature11.9 °CNone
Conductivity387 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.0057 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate1.4 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.013 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.3 mg/LNone
Lead0.0053 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000027 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Zinc0.0022 mg/LNone
Nickel0.00063 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Aluminium0.033 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.00077 mg/L2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for CA16.

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