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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CW3, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 697 samples, 17 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

8.9 / 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

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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

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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 CW3 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 64% of it. 15 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: 0.00045 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%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Bromate: 0.00039 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%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%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Trihalomethanes: 0.0203 mg/L, 20% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes20%Nitrate: 18.3 mg/L, 37% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate37%Fluoride: 0.96 mg/L, 64% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride64%
  1. Fluoride64%
  2. Nitrate37%
  3. Trihalomethanes20%
  4. Ammonia11%
  5. Antimony6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Nickel5%
  8. Turbidity4%
  9. Bromate4%
  10. Iron3%
  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
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00103 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Nitrate18.3 mg/L50 mg/L
37%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0203 mg/L0.1 mg/L
20%
Bromate0.00039 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.96 mg/L1.5 mg/L
64%

109mg 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 Checkley Brook - Lower, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Checkley Brook - Lower as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by phosphate and water plants and algae. 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 improved since the previous assessment.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

Within 10 km

5

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.0082 µg/L, at Nsa Monitoring Spring at Sidway Hall Farm, 5.6 km away, in May 2026. 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

CW3 in short

Tap water in CW3 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire East Central zone and scores 8.9 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 24 December 2024.

  • 12th cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire East1 area in Cheshire East scored lower. The best is CW10 on 9.4.
  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 64% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • PFAS found at 3 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 5.6 km away. What was measured

Next door

CW59.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW49.4 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW29.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW18.8 out of 10 · 65 mg/LCW109.4 out of 10 · 113 mg/LCW119.3 out of 10 · 17 mg/LWA169.4 out of 10 · 77 mg/LSK99.4 out of 10 · 138 mg/LSK109.4 out of 10 · 59 mg/LSK119.3 out of 10 · 64 mg/L

Questions about CW3 water

Is CW3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CW3 (Cheshire East) water scores 8.9/10, which is safe. 0 of 17 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CW3 water?

We tested 17 contaminants in CW3 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 CW3?

CW3 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CW3 water hard or soft?

Water in CW3 (Cheshire East) has a hardness of 109 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in CW3?

CW3 water scored 8.9/10 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 CW3 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for CW3 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 5 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of CW3, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.0082 µg/L about 5.6 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 CW3?

The Environment Agency rated the Checkley Brook - Lower as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by phosphate and water plants and algae. 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 improved since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in CW3, 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 CW3

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
pH7.74 pHNone
Temperature18.5 °CNone
Conductivity670 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.32 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate6.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.14 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.12 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.79 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for CW3.

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