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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CH28, WirralSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by United Utilities. 168 samples, 16 substances, latest on 6 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£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 CH28 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 39% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.000176 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Aluminium: 0.00271 mg/L, 1% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium1%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: 0.00177 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Bromate: 0.00058 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Nickel: 0.0016 mg/L, 8% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel8%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Nitrate: 6.16 mg/L, 12% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate12%Iron: 0.0258 mg/L, 13% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron13%Trihalomethanes: 0.0387 mg/L, 39% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes39%
  1. Trihalomethanes39%
  2. Iron13%
  3. Nitrate12%
  4. Ammonia11%
  5. Nickel8%
  6. Antimony6%
  7. Bromate6%
  8. Lead6%
  9. Turbidity5%
  10. Manganese4%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Aluminium1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Nitrate6.16 mg/L50 mg/L
12%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Aluminium0.00271 mg/L0.2 mg/L
1%
Iron0.0258 mg/L0.2 mg/L
13%
Manganese0.00177 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Bromate0.00058 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Copper0.000176 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.0016 mg/L0.02 mg/L
8%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Trihalomethanes0.0387 mg/L0.1 mg/L
39%

124mg of limescale minerals in every litre

Middling hardness. Some scale, slowly

Below the point where a softener pays for itself. Descaling the kettle now and then is all most homes need.

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

23

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 5 sites. The highest was FBSA at 0.0067 µg/L, at Unilever NO.2(SJ38/28) App.no. 288, 9.8 km away, in August 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

CH28 in short

Tap water in CH28 (Wirral) is supplied by United Utilities in the Wirral 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 6 December 2024.

  • 6th cleanest of 21 areas tested in WirralOnly 5 areas in Wirral scored higher. The best is CH26 on 9.7.
  • PFAS found at 5 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was FBSA about 9.8 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 39% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Questions about CH28 water

Is CH28 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CH28 (Wirral) 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 CH28 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in CH28 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 CH28?

CH28 (Wirral) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CH28 water hard or soft?

Water in CH28 (Wirral) has a hardness of 124 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in CH28?

CH28 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 CH28 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for CH28 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 23 river and groundwater samples from 5 sites within 10 km of CH28, the highest being FBSA at 0.0067 µg/L about 9.8 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 CH28?

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 CH28, 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 CH28

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
Ammonia1.3 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH6.97 pHNone
Temperature18 °CNone
Conductivity589 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.95 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.1 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.67 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen1.55 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for CH28.

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