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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CH3, Cheshire West and ChesterSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,244 samples, 17 substances, latest on 27 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

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

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of CH3 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.

Fluoride came closest to a limit, at 63% of it. 15 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000106 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 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%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%Aluminium: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Bromate: 0.00033 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Iron: 0.012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Nitrate: 4.61 mg/L, 9% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate9%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Trihalomethanes: 0.0367 mg/L, 37% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes37%Fluoride: 0.95 mg/L, 63% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride63%
  1. Fluoride63%
  2. Trihalomethanes37%
  3. Ammonia11%
  4. Nitrate9%
  5. Antimony6%
  6. Iron6%
  7. Lead6%
  8. Turbidity4%
  9. Nickel4%
  10. Bromate3%
  11. Aluminium3%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Nitrite2%
  14. Cadmium2%
  15. Chromium2%
  16. Manganese<1%
  17. Copper<1%
All 17 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
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%
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.012 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.0000106 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00033 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Trihalomethanes0.0367 mg/L0.1 mg/L
37%
Nitrate4.61 mg/L50 mg/L
9%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Fluoride0.95 mg/L1.5 mg/L
63%

95mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the CH area. CH3 has no reading of its own.

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 Henlake Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Henlake Brook 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, phosphate 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

CH3 in short

Tap water in CH3 (Cheshire West and Chester) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire West and Chester Central zone and scores 9.0 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 17 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 27 December 2024.

  • 12th cleanest of 14 areas tested in Cheshire West and Chester2 areas in Cheshire West and Chester scored lower. The best is CW7 on 9.5.
  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 63% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • Moderately soft water at 95 mg/LLittle limescale to speak of across the CH postcode area. A softener would be money wasted. How hardness is measured

Next door

CH349.3 out of 10 · 89 mg/LCH19.4 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH29.3 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH649.2 out of 10 · 89 mg/LCH659.3 out of 10 · 89 mg/LCW79.5 out of 10 · 113 mg/LCW69.0 out of 10 · 16 mg/LCW89.2 out of 10 · 112 mg/LCW99.2 out of 10 · 113 mg/LSY149.0 out of 10 · 16 mg/L

Questions about CH3 water

Is CH3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CH3 (Cheshire West and Chester) water scores 9/10, which is safe. 0 of 17 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CH3 water?

We tested 17 contaminants in CH3 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in CH3?

CH3 (Cheshire West and Chester) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CH3 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for CH3 itself. Across the CH postcode area the typical value is 95 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in CH3?

CH3 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 CH3 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for CH3, 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 CH3?

The Environment Agency rated the Henlake Brook 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, phosphate 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 CH3, 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 CH3

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
pH7.37 pHNone
Temperature22.1 °CNone
Conductivity431 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.036 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.54 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.021 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.67 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.16 mg/LNone

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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