Tap water in CW5, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Moderately soft.
Supplied by United Utilities. 1,931 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
£40typical price
Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals
Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink
£70typical price
High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity
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 CW5 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 73% of it. 16 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.
- Fluoride73%
- Trihalomethanes21%
- Nitrate20%
- Ammonia6%
- Antimony6%
- Lead6%
- Aluminium5%
- Bromate4%
- Turbidity4%
- Nickel4%
- Iron3%
- Selenium2%
- Manganese2%
- Cadmium2%
- Chromium2%
- Nitrite2%
- Copper<1%
All 17 results as a table
| Substance | Result | Legal limit | Share of limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadmium | 0.00009 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | 2% |
| Chromium | 0.00083 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | 2% |
| Antimony | 0.00031 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | 6% |
| Selenium | 0.00085 mg/L | 0.04 mg/L | 2% |
| Turbidity | 0.16 NTU | 4 NTU | 4% |
| Aluminium | 0.0096 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L | 5% |
| Iron | 0.007 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L | 3% |
| Manganese | 0.00105 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | 2% |
| Fluoride | 1.09 mg/L | 1.5 mg/L | 73% |
| Nickel | 0.00077 mg/L | 0.02 mg/L | 4% |
| Lead | 0.00055 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 6% |
| Bromate | 0.00043 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 4% |
| Trihalomethanes | 0.0206 mg/L | 0.1 mg/L | 21% |
| Copper | 0.0000104 mg/L | 2 mg/L | <1% |
| Nitrate | 10.1 mg/L | 50 mg/L | 20% |
| Nitrite | 0.0075 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L | 2% |
| Ammonia | 0.0321 mg/L | 0.5 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.
Your river is the Weaver (Barnett to Valley Brook), rated bad
The Environment Agency rated the Weaver (Barnett to Valley 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 insects and other small river life, fish 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 dropped since the previous assessment.
None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England
CW5 in short
Tap water in CW5 (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 73% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
- 11th cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire East2 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 CW5. A softener would be money wasted. How hardness is measured
Questions about CW5 water
Is CW5 tap water safe to drink?
Based on the latest tests, CW5 (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 CW5 water?
We tested 17 contaminants in CW5 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.
Who supplies water in CW5?
CW5 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.
Is CW5 water hard or soft?
Water in CW5 (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 CW5?
CW5 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 CW5 water?
No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for CW5, 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 CW5?
The Environment Agency rated the Weaver (Barnett to Valley 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 insects and other small river life, fish 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 dropped since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in CW5, which is treated before it reaches homes.
Keep reading
- Is UK Tap Water Safe?Everything you need to know about tap water safety in the UK
- Best Water Filters UKEvery filter type compared on what it actually removes
- How to Test Your Tap WaterFrom DIY strips to professional lab analysis
- Best Water Filter Jug UKBRITA vs ZeroWater vs the rest, tested against real data
How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map
River and groundwater readings near CW5
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.
| Substance | Reading | Drinking water limit |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 0.04 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L |
| pH | 8.09 pH | None |
| Temperature | 16.6 °C | None |
| Conductivity | 1113 µS/cm | None |
| Ammonia | 0.049 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L |
| Nitrate | 7.2 mg/L | 50 mg/L |
| Nitrite | 0.019 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L |
| Phosphate | 0.22 mg/L | None |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 7.81 mg/L | None |
| Lead | 0.0002 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L |
| Cadmium | 0.000017 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L |
| Zinc | 0.0042 mg/L | None |
| Nickel | 0.0019 mg/L | 0.02 mg/L |
| Copper | 0.00013 mg/L | 2 mg/L |
| Iron | 0.12 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L |
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