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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CW2, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,279 samples, 17 substances, latest on 31 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

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

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 CW2 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 65% of it. 16 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00064 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%Iron: 0.008 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Nickel: 0.00103 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%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: 0.00107 mg/L, 11% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate11%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Nitrate: 8.5 mg/L, 17% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate17%Trihalomethanes: 0.0206 mg/L, 21% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes21%Fluoride: 0.98 mg/L, 65% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride65%
  1. Fluoride65%
  2. Trihalomethanes21%
  3. Nitrate17%
  4. Ammonia11%
  5. Bromate11%
  6. Antimony6%
  7. Lead6%
  8. Nickel5%
  9. Turbidity5%
  10. Iron4%
  11. Aluminium3%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Nitrite2%
  14. Cadmium2%
  15. Chromium2%
  16. Manganese1%
  17. Copper<1%
All 17 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron0.008 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
Manganese0.00064 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Fluoride0.98 mg/L1.5 mg/L
65%
Bromate0.00107 mg/L0.01 mg/L
11%
Nitrate8.5 mg/L50 mg/L
17%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Trihalomethanes0.0206 mg/L0.1 mg/L
21%
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%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00103 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%

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 Wistaston Brook, rated bad

The Environment Agency rated the Wistaston Brook as bad for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is severely damaged, with most of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by fish, water plants and algae 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

CW2 in short

Tap water in CW2 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire East 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 31 December 2024.

  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 65% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 10th cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire East3 areas in Cheshire East scored lower. The best is CW10 on 9.4.
  • Moderately soft water at 73 mg/LLittle limescale to speak of in CW2. A softener would be money wasted. How hardness is measured

Questions about CW2 water

Is CW2 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CW2 (Cheshire East) 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 CW2 water?

We tested 17 contaminants in CW2 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in CW2?

CW2 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CW2 water hard or soft?

Water in CW2 (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 CW2?

CW2 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 CW2 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for CW2, 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 CW2?

The Environment Agency rated the Wistaston Brook as bad for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is severely damaged, with most of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by fish, water plants and algae 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 CW2, 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 CW2

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
pH8.06 pHNone
Temperature6.3 °CNone
Conductivity1181 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.14 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate9.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.059 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.19 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen11.4 mg/LNone
Copper0.0051 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0093 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for CW2.

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