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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CW12, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,483 samples, 19 substances, latest on 24 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

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

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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of CW12 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 36% of it. 18 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000314 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Boron: 0.0000245 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<1%Manganese: 0.00075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%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%Nitrate: 2.44 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%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: 0.00066 mg/L, 7% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate7%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%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%Iron: 0.034 mg/L, 17% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron17%Trihalomethanes: 0.0361 mg/L, 36% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes36%
  1. Trihalomethanes36%
  2. Iron17%
  3. Mercury13%
  4. Fluoride12%
  5. Ammonia11%
  6. Bromate7%
  7. Antimony6%
  8. Lead6%
  9. Turbidity5%
  10. Nitrate5%
  11. Nickel4%
  12. Aluminium3%
  13. Selenium2%
  14. Nitrite2%
  15. Cadmium2%
  16. Chromium2%
  17. Manganese2%
  18. Boron<1%
  19. Copper<1%
All 19 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Nitrate2.44 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.034 mg/L0.2 mg/L
17%
Manganese0.00075 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Trihalomethanes0.0361 mg/L0.1 mg/L
36%
Copper0.0000314 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00066 mg/L0.01 mg/L
7%
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%
Fluoride0.18 mg/L1.5 mg/L
12%
Mercury0.00013 mg/L0.001 mg/L
13%
Boron0.0000245 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%

73mg 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 Dane (Cow Brook to Wheelock), rated poor

The Environment Agency rated the Dane (Cow Brook to Wheelock) as poor for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is badly affected, with much of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by water plants and algae, 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. Its ecological rating has dropped since the previous assessment.

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, 8.3 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

CW12 in short

Tap water in CW12 (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 24 December 2024.

  • 7th 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 8.3 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 36% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

CW29.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW119.3 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW49.4 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW38.9 out of 10 · 109 mg/LCW59.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW109.4 out of 10 · 113 mg/LCW18.8 out of 10 · 65 mg/LWA169.4 out of 10 · 77 mg/LSK109.4 out of 10 · 59 mg/LSK129.3 out of 10 · 98 mg/L

Questions about CW12 water

Is CW12 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CW12 (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 CW12 water?

We tested 19 contaminants in CW12 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 CW12?

CW12 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CW12 water hard or soft?

Water in CW12 (Cheshire East) has a hardness of 73 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in CW12?

CW12 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 CW12 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for CW12 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 49 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of CW12, the highest being PFOA at 0.0028 µg/L about 8.3 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 CW12?

The Environment Agency rated the Dane (Cow Brook to Wheelock) as poor for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is badly affected, with much of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by water plants and algae, 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. Its ecological rating has dropped since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in CW12, 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 CW12

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
pH7.85 pHNone
Temperature17.3 °CNone
Conductivity314 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.22 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate1.4 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.03 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.044 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.81 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for CW12.

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