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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in CW8, Cheshire West and ChesterSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,287 samples, 16 substances, latest on 27 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.2 / 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 CW8 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.

Nitrate came closest to a limit, at 44% of it. 14 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: 0.00033 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Iron: 0.008 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron4%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: 0.0253 mg/L, 25% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes25%Nitrate: 21.8 mg/L, 44% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate44%
  1. Nitrate44%
  2. Trihalomethanes25%
  3. Ammonia11%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Iron4%
  8. Nickel4%
  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
Trihalomethanes0.0253 mg/L0.1 mg/L
25%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.008 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
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%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00033 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Nitrate21.8 mg/L50 mg/L
44%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%

112mg 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 Cuddington Brook (Source to Crowton Brook), rated good

The Environment Agency rated the Cuddington Brook (Source to Crowton Brook) as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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

18

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was PFOS at 0.0021 µg/L, at RSN1324 Keckwick Brook Near Murdishaw Valley, 9.8 km away, in December 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

Every PFAS sample around Warrington · Which filters remove PFAS · PFAS explained

CW8 in short

Tap water in CW8 (Cheshire West and Chester) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire West and Chester Central zone and scores 9.2 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 27 December 2024.

  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 44% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 10th cleanest of 14 areas tested in Cheshire West and Chester4 areas in Cheshire West and Chester scored lower. The best is CW7 on 9.5.
  • PFAS found at 2 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOS about 9.8 km away. What was measured

Next door

CH349.3 out of 10 · 89 mg/LCH19.4 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH29.3 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH39.0 out of 10 · 95 mg/LCH649.2 out of 10 · 89 mg/LCH659.3 out of 10 · 89 mg/LCW79.5 out of 10 · 113 mg/LCW69.0 out of 10 · 16 mg/LCW99.2 out of 10 · 113 mg/LSY149.0 out of 10 · 16 mg/L

Questions about CW8 water

Is CW8 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, CW8 (Cheshire West and Chester) water scores 9.2/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in CW8 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in CW8 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 CW8?

CW8 (Cheshire West and Chester) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is CW8 water hard or soft?

Water in CW8 (Cheshire West and Chester) has a hardness of 112 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in CW8?

CW8 water scored 9.2/10 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 CW8 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for CW8 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 18 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of CW8, the highest being PFOS at 0.0021 µg/L about 9.8 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 CW8?

The Environment Agency rated the Cuddington Brook (Source to Crowton Brook) as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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 CW8, 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 CW8

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
pH7.77 pHNone
Temperature18.9 °CNone
Conductivity1310 µS/cmNone
Nitrate8.4 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0097 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.11 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.83 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.071 mg/L0.5 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for CW8.

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