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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in DH3, County DurhamSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 6,044 samples, 20 substances, latest on 19 December 2025. 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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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 DH3 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 51% of it. 17 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0014 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Cadmium: 0.000018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Lead: 0.000065 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Chromium: 0.00067 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium1%Arsenic: 0.00015 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Boron: 0.018 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Manganese: 0.001 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Colour: 0.97 mg/L Pt/Co, 5% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Turbidity: 0.22 NTU, 6% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity6%Nickel: 0.0011 mg/L, 6% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel6%Aluminium: 0.013 mg/L, 7% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium7%Iron: 0.017 mg/L, 9% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron9%Nitrate: 6 mg/L, 12% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate12%Fluoride: 0.76 mg/L, 51% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride51%
  1. Fluoride51%
  2. Nitrate12%
  3. Iron9%
  4. Aluminium7%
  5. Turbidity6%
  6. Nickel6%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Colour5%
  9. Antimony3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Boron2%
  13. Arsenic1%
  14. Chromium1%
  15. Nitrite1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Cadmium<1%
  18. Copper<1%
  • Conductivity 160 µS/cm
  • pH 7.7 pH
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Conductivity160 µS/cmNo legal limit–
pH7.7 pHNo legal limit–
Iron0.017 mg/L0.2 mg/L
9%
Manganese0.001 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Colour0.97 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
5%
Turbidity0.22 NTU4 NTU
6%
Aluminium0.013 mg/L0.2 mg/L
7%
Arsenic0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Copper0.0014 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.0011 mg/L0.02 mg/L
6%
Fluoride0.76 mg/L1.5 mg/L
51%
Boron0.018 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Nitrate6 mg/L50 mg/L
12%

80mg 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 Wear DS of Lumley Park Burn to Tidal Limit, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Wear DS of Lumley Park Burn to Tidal Limit as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, 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

Within 10 km

116

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was PFBS at 0.0067 µg/L, at Team at Third Avenue Bridge, 8.1 km away, in July 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

DH3 in short

Tap water in DH3 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the County Durham Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 20 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 19 December 2025.

  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 51% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 15th cleanest of 22 areas tested in County Durham7 areas in County Durham scored lower. The best is DH1 on 9.7.
  • PFAS found at 3 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBS about 8.1 km away. What was measured

Next door

DH69.7 out of 10 · 480 mg/LDH19.7 out of 10 · 68 mg/LDH89.3 out of 10 · 90 mg/LDL59.7 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDL149.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDL169.4 out of 10 · 70 mg/LDH29.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDL49.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDH99.5 out of 10 · 78 mg/LDL179.7 out of 10 · 70 mg/L

Questions about DH3 water

Is DH3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, DH3 (County Durham) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in DH3 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in DH3 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 DH3?

DH3 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is DH3 water hard or soft?

Water in DH3 (County Durham) has a hardness of 80 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in DH3?

DH3 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 DH3 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for DH3 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 116 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of DH3, the highest being PFBS at 0.0067 µg/L about 8.1 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 DH3?

The Environment Agency rated the Wear DS of Lumley Park Burn to Tidal Limit as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, 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 DH3, 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 DH3

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
Iron0.748 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.81 pHNone
Temperature6 °CNone
Conductivity556 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.1 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate3.3 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.013 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.061 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen12.1 mg/LNone
Lead0.00431 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Chromium0.000903 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Copper0.00496 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0337 mg/LNone

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Source: Northumbrian Water 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