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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in GL3, TewkesburySafe to drink.Very hard.

Supplied by Severn Trent. 990 samples, 20 substances, latest on 21 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

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9.1 / 10

The tank is as full as the score. The specks are the minerals that make water hard.

What to do about it

Hard water: compare softener quotes

At 258 mg/L a softener is the only thing that stops limescale. Filters do not soften water.

It pays for itself in most homes at this hardness, through a boiler that stays efficient and appliances that last.

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What's in a glass of GL3 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 53% of it. 15 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitSelenium: 0.00016 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Cadmium: 0.00002 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Copper: 0.0119 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Nitrite: 0.003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Chromium: 0.00042 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Lead: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Manganese: 0.00073 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Arsenic: 0.00031 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Antimony: 0.000286 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Colour: 1.2 mg/L Pt/Co, 6% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour6%Fluoride: 0.11 mg/L, 7% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride7%Nickel: 0.0016 mg/L, 8% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel8%Aluminium: 0.021 mg/L, 11% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium11%Trihalomethanes: 0.0473 mg/L, 47% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes47%Nitrate: 26.6 mg/L, 53% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate53%
  1. Nitrate53%
  2. Trihalomethanes47%
  3. Aluminium11%
  4. Nickel8%
  5. Fluoride7%
  6. Colour6%
  7. Antimony6%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Arsenic3%
  10. Turbidity3%
  11. Manganese1%
  12. Lead1%
  13. Chromium<1%
  14. Nitrite<1%
  15. Copper<1%
  16. Selenium<1%
  17. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.37 pH
  • Conductivity 335 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 1.02 mg/L
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Nitrate26.6 mg/L50 mg/L
53%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.021 mg/L0.2 mg/L
11%
Colour1.2 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
6%
pH7.37 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
Lead0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Antimony0.000286 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Trihalomethanes0.0473 mg/L0.1 mg/L
47%
Selenium0.00016 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%
Manganese0.00073 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Copper0.0119 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.11 mg/L1.5 mg/L
7%
Arsenic0.00031 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Cadmium0.00002 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00042 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.0016 mg/L0.02 mg/L
8%
Conductivity335 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Phosphate1.02 mg/LNo legal limit–

258mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the GL area. GL3 has no reading of its own.

This is the water that furs up kettles

Very hard on the UK scale. It is fine to drink. It is hard on boilers, showers, skin and anything that heats water, and a jug or tap filter will not change that.

Soft400 mg/L

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Outside your tap

Your river is the Horsebere Bk - source to conf R Severn, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Horsebere Bk - source to conf R Severn 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 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

113

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 9 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.015 µg/L, at Horesbere Brook Sandhurst Lane, 5.6 km away, in July 2023. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

GL3 in short

Tap water in GL3 (Tewkesbury) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Tewkesbury Central zone and scores 9.1 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 21 December 2025.

  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 53% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • Very hard water at 258 mg/LThe threshold for very hard is 250 mg/L. Expect visible limescale on taps and in kettles across the GL postcode area. How hardness is measured
  • PFAS found at 9 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 5.6 km away. What was measured

Next door

GL209.4 out of 10 · 258 mg/LGL49.4 out of 10 · 258 mg/L

Questions about GL3 water

Is GL3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, GL3 (Tewkesbury) water scores 9.1/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.

What contaminants are in GL3 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in GL3 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 GL3?

GL3 (Tewkesbury) is supplied by Severn Trent. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is GL3 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for GL3 itself. Across the GL postcode area the typical value is 258 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as very hard. Hard water can cause limescale buildup. A water softener or filter jug may help.

Should I use a water filter in GL3?

GL3 water scored 9.1/10 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 GL3 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for GL3 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 113 river and groundwater samples from 9 sites within 10 km of GL3, the highest being PFOA at 0.015 µg/L about 5.6 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 GL3?

The Environment Agency rated the Horsebere Bk - source to conf R Severn 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 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 GL3, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsAll of GloucesterUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near GL3

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
Ammonia2.4 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Iron0.442 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.5 pHNone
Temperature17.5 °CNone
Conductivity588 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.188 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.012 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.58 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen3.58 mg/LNone
Copper0.0025 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0061 mg/LNone
Lead0.00124 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Chromium0.00244 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Arsenic0.0024 mg/L0.01 mg/L

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Source: Severn Trent 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