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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CW4, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 859 samples, 16 substances, latest on 20 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.4 / 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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of CW4 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. 15 of 16 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%Bromate: 0.00034 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%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%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Trihalomethanes: 0.035 mg/L, 35% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes35%
  1. Trihalomethanes35%
  2. Ammonia11%
  3. Antimony6%
  4. Lead6%
  5. Turbidity5%
  6. Nitrate5%
  7. Nickel4%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Bromate3%
  10. Aluminium3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
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%
Trihalomethanes0.035 mg/L0.1 mg/L
35%
Bromate0.00034 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Nitrate2.44 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%

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 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

CW4 in short

Tap water in CW4 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire East Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 20 December 2024.

  • 2nd cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire EastOnly 1 area in Cheshire East scored higher. The best is CW10 on 9.4.
  • Soft water at 17 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in CW4, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 35% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

CW59.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW38.9 out of 10 · 109 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 CW4 water

Is CW4 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CW4 (Cheshire East) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CW4 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in CW4 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in CW4?

CW4 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CW4 water hard or soft?

Water in CW4 (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 CW4?

CW4 water scored 9.4/10 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 CW4 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for CW4, 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 CW4?

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 CW4, 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 CW4

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
pH8.1 pHNone
Temperature18.7 °CNone
Conductivity524 µS/cmNone
Nitrate1.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.044 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.096 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.34 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.044 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Copper0.00296 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.00519 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