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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CW11, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,986 samples, 19 substances, latest on 31 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

9.3 / 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 CW11 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 35% of it. 18 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000124 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Boron: 0.0000245 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<1%Manganese: 0.00065 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%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%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%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%Bromate: 0.0007 mg/L, 7% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate7%Nitrate: 4.38 mg/L, 9% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate9%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Iron: 0.024 mg/L, 12% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron12%Fluoride: 0.18 mg/L, 12% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride12%Mercury: 0.00013 mg/L, 13% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury13%Trihalomethanes: 0.035 mg/L, 35% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes35%
  1. Trihalomethanes35%
  2. Mercury13%
  3. Iron12%
  4. Fluoride12%
  5. Ammonia11%
  6. Nitrate9%
  7. Bromate7%
  8. Antimony6%
  9. Lead6%
  10. Turbidity5%
  11. Nickel4%
  12. Aluminium3%
  13. Selenium2%
  14. Nitrite2%
  15. Cadmium2%
  16. Chromium2%
  17. Manganese1%
  18. Boron<1%
  19. Copper<1%
All 19 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Nitrate4.38 mg/L50 mg/L
9%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.024 mg/L0.2 mg/L
12%
Manganese0.00065 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Trihalomethanes0.035 mg/L0.1 mg/L
35%
Copper0.0000124 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 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%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.0007 mg/L0.01 mg/L
7%
Fluoride0.18 mg/L1.5 mg/L
12%
Mercury0.00013 mg/L0.001 mg/L
13%
Boron0.0000245 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%

17mg 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 Arclid Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Arclid 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 insects and other small river life and phosphate. 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

49

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 1 site. The highest was PFOA at 0.0028 µg/L, at RSN0312 Kidsgrove Stream U/S Snape'S Bridge, 7.1 km away, in September 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

Every PFAS sample around Stoke-on-Trent · Which filters remove PFAS · PFAS explained

CW11 in short

Tap water in CW11 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire East Central zone and scores 9.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 19 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 31 December 2024.

  • Soft water at 17 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in CW11, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • 6th cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire EastSquarely mid-table for Cheshire East, between CW10 on 9.4 and CW1 on 8.8.
  • PFAS found at 1 monitoring site within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 7.1 km away. What was measured

Questions about CW11 water

Is CW11 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CW11 (Cheshire East) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 19 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CW11 water?

We tested 19 contaminants in CW11 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 CW11?

CW11 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CW11 water hard or soft?

Water in CW11 (Cheshire East) has a hardness of 17 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in CW11?

CW11 water scored 9.3/10 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 CW11 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for CW11 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 49 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of CW11, the highest being PFOA at 0.0028 µg/L about 7.1 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 CW11?

The Environment Agency rated the Arclid 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 insects and other small river life and phosphate. 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 CW11, 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 CW11

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
Temperature17.5 °CNone
Ammonia0.34 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.38 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.042 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.24 mg/LNone
pH8.09 pHNone
Conductivity1032 µS/cmNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.44 mg/LNone
Iron0.11 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Cadmium0.000084 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)244 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