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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CH26, WirralSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 45 samples, 8 substances, latest on 1 December 2024. 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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What's in a glass of CH26 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.

Antimony came closest to a limit, at 6% of it. 8 of 8 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitManganese: 0.00045 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<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%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%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%
  1. Antimony6%
  2. Turbidity5%
  3. Iron3%
  4. Aluminium3%
  5. Selenium2%
  6. Cadmium2%
  7. Chromium2%
  8. Manganese<1%
All 8 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
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%

95mg 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 The Birket including Arrowe Brook and Fender, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the The Birket including Arrowe Brook and Fender as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by dissolved oxygen, fish and insects and other small river life. 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

41

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 7 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.0076 µg/L, at RSN1359 Dibbinsdale Brook, 6.0 km away, in February 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

CH26 in short

Tap water in CH26 (Wirral) is supplied by United Utilities in the Wirral Central zone and scores 9.7 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 8 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 1 December 2024.

  • The cleanest tap water of the 21 areas tested in WirralCH26 scores 9.7 out of 10, ahead of CH63 in second place on 9.6.
  • Scores higher than all 10 neighbouring districtsThe nearest rival is CH27 on 9.2, against 9.7 here. Compare with CH27
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area

Next door

CH258.7 out of 10 · 100 mg/LCH298.9 out of 10 · 124 mg/LCH279.2 out of 10 · 96 mg/LCH319.1 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH327.5 out of 10 · 100 mg/LCH429.2 out of 10 · 92 mg/LCH419.2 out of 10 · 100 mg/LCH439.2 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH309.1 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH449.2 out of 10 · 100 mg/L

Questions about CH26 water

Is CH26 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CH26 (Wirral) water scores 9.7/10, which is safe. 0 of 8 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CH26 water?

We tested 8 contaminants in CH26 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 CH26?

CH26 (Wirral) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CH26 water hard or soft?

Water in CH26 (Wirral) has a hardness of 95 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in CH26?

CH26 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 CH26 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for CH26 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 41 river and groundwater samples from 7 sites within 10 km of CH26, the highest being PFOA at 0.0076 µg/L about 6 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 CH26?

The Environment Agency rated the The Birket including Arrowe Brook and Fender as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by dissolved oxygen, fish and insects and other small river life. 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 CH26, 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 CH26

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
Arsenic0.017 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Ammonia0.452 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Lead0.00005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Zinc0.012 mg/LNone
Nickel0.0001 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Manganese0.0013 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Copper0.013 mg/L2 mg/L
Dissolved Oxygen9.53 mg/LNone
pH7.55 pHNone
Temperature9.3 °CNone
Conductivity831 µS/cmNone
Nitrate1.53 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0769 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.617 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.00077 µg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for CH26.

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