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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in DL14, County DurhamSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 3,898 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

9.6 / 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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of DL14 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 13% 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%Boron: 0.007 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<1%Arsenic: 0.000087 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<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: 0.001 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Lead: 0.0002 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%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%Copper: 0.09 mg/L, 5% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Nickel: 0.0013 mg/L, 7% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel7%Colour: 1.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 9% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour9%Aluminium: 0.02 mg/L, 10% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium10%Fluoride: 0.17 mg/L, 11% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride11%Iron: 0.025 mg/L, 13% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron13%
  1. Iron13%
  2. Fluoride11%
  3. Aluminium10%
  4. Colour9%
  5. Nickel7%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Copper5%
  9. Antimony3%
  10. Nitrate3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Manganese2%
  13. Lead2%
  14. Chromium1%
  15. Nitrite1%
  16. Arsenic<1%
  17. Boron<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
  • Conductivity 170 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Iron0.025 mg/L0.2 mg/L
13%
Conductivity170 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.02 mg/L0.2 mg/L
10%
Manganese0.001 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Colour1.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
9%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Fluoride0.17 mg/L1.5 mg/L
11%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Arsenic0.000087 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Boron0.007 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.0002 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Copper0.09 mg/L2 mg/L
5%
Nickel0.0013 mg/L0.02 mg/L
7%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%

115mg 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 Gaunless from Hummer Beck to Wear, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Gaunless from Hummer Beck to Wear 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 organic pollution (bod). 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

DL14 in short

Tap water in DL14 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the County Durham Central zone and scores 9.6 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.

  • 9th cleanest of 22 areas tested in County DurhamSquarely mid-table for County Durham, between DH1 on 9.7 and TS28 on 9.
  • 0.6 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 13% of the 0.2 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

DH79.4 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDH19.7 out of 10 · 68 mg/LDH39.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDL49.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDH99.5 out of 10 · 78 mg/LDL139.7 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDL169.4 out of 10 · 70 mg/LDL59.7 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDH29.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDL179.7 out of 10 · 70 mg/L

Questions about DL14 water

Is DL14 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, DL14 (County Durham) water scores 9.6/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in DL14 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in DL14 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in DL14?

DL14 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is DL14 water hard or soft?

Water in DL14 (County Durham) has a hardness of 115 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in DL14?

DL14 water scored 9.6/10 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 DL14 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for DL14, 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 DL14?

The Environment Agency rated the Gaunless from Hummer Beck to Wear 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 organic pollution (bod). 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 DL14, 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 DL14

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
pH7.99 pHNone
Temperature16.5 °CNone
Conductivity343 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.021 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.86 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.013 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.03 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.65 mg/LNone
Lead0.00237 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)135 mg/LNone
Zinc0.00904 mg/LNone
Nickel0.000989 mg/L0.02 mg/L

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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