Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in DL12, County DurhamSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 3,617 samples, 20 substances, latest on 17 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.7 / 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

Check price at Waterdrop (opens in new tab)
BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

£25typical price

Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)

We earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we put first. How we make money

What's in a glass of DL12 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.

Iron came closest to a limit, at 18% of it. 18 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCadmium: 0.000018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Copper: 0.009 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Lead: 0.000065 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Arsenic: 0.00007 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<1%Boron: 0.0082 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<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%Manganese: 0.00077 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Nickel: 0.00054 mg/L, 3% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel3%Fluoride: 0.043 mg/L, 3% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride3%Nitrate: 1.5 mg/L, 3% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate3%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Colour: 1.7 mg/L Pt/Co, 9% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour9%Aluminium: 0.033 mg/L, 17% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium17%Iron: 0.037 mg/L, 18% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron18%
  1. Iron18%
  2. Aluminium17%
  3. Colour9%
  4. Turbidity5%
  5. Bromate5%
  6. Antimony3%
  7. Nitrate3%
  8. Fluoride3%
  9. Nickel3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Chromium1%
  13. Nitrite1%
  14. Boron<1%
  15. Arsenic<1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Copper<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
  • Conductivity 150 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Colour1.7 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
9%
Iron0.037 mg/L0.2 mg/L
18%
Conductivity150 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Manganese0.00077 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Aluminium0.033 mg/L0.2 mg/L
17%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Boron0.0082 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00054 mg/L0.02 mg/L
3%
Copper0.009 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00007 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%
Fluoride0.043 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%

90mg 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 Balder Catchment (trib of Tees), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Balder Catchment (trib of Tees) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by 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.

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

DL12 in short

Tap water in DL12 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the County Durham Central zone and scores 9.7 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 17 December 2025.

  • 4th cleanest of 22 areas tested in County DurhamOnly 3 areas in County Durham scored higher. The best is DH1 on 9.7.
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Iron at 18% of the 0.2 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

DH89.3 out of 10 · 90 mg/LDH29.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDL59.7 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDL139.7 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDH69.7 out of 10 · 480 mg/LDL159.4 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDL179.7 out of 10 · 70 mg/LDH39.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDH79.4 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDL149.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/L

Questions about DL12 water

Is DL12 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, DL12 (County Durham) water scores 9.7/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in DL12 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in DL12 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in DL12?

DL12 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is DL12 water hard or soft?

Water in DL12 (County Durham) has a hardness of 90 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in DL12?

DL12 water scored 9.7/10 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 DL12 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for DL12, 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 DL12?

The Environment Agency rated the Balder Catchment (trib of Tees) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by 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. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in DL12, 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 DL12

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
Lead0.027 mg/L0.01 mg/L
pH7.79 pHNone
Temperature14.4 °CNone
Conductivity112 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.38 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0015 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.039 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.3 mg/LNone
Cadmium0.00019 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)115 mg/LNone
Zinc0.02 mg/LNone
Nickel0.0012 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Copper0.0013 mg/L2 mg/L
Iron0.037 mg/L0.2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for DL12.

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