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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in GU28, ChichesterSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Southern Water. 6,949 samples, 22 substances, latest on 30 April 2026. 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 GU28 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. 17 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitChromium: 0.00019 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Antimony: 0.000029 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony<1%Nitrite: 0.004 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Lead: 0.00013 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Arsenic: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Selenium: 0.00062 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Cadmium: 0.000102 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Copper: 0.0489 mg/L, 2% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper2%Turbidity: 0.13 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Manganese: 0.00178 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Nickel: 0.00082 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Aluminium: 0.0113 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Iron: 0.0119 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron6%Ammonia: 0.039 mg/L, 8% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia8%Bromate: 0.00093 mg/L, 9% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate9%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0203 mg/L, 20% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes20%Nitrate: 26.5 mg/L, 53% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate53%
  1. Nitrate53%
  2. Trihalomethanes20%
  3. Colour15%
  4. Bromate9%
  5. Ammonia8%
  6. Iron6%
  7. Aluminium6%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Manganese4%
  10. Turbidity3%
  11. Copper2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Selenium2%
  14. Arsenic1%
  15. Lead1%
  16. Nitrite<1%
  17. Antimony<1%
  18. Chromium<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • pH 7.5 pH
  • Conductivity 431 µS/cm
All 22 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.0113 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.0119 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Manganese0.00178 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
pH7.5 pHNo legal limit–
Nitrate26.5 mg/L50 mg/L
53%
Lead0.00013 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Conductivity431 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Bromate0.00093 mg/L0.01 mg/L
9%
Nitrite0.004 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.0489 mg/L2 mg/L
2%
Arsenic0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Cadmium0.000102 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00082 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Antimony0.000029 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Selenium0.00062 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0203 mg/L0.1 mg/L
20%
Ammonia0.039 mg/L0.5 mg/L
8%

154mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the GU area. GU28 has no reading of its own.

Middling hardness. Some scale, slowly

Below the point where a softener pays for itself. Descaling the kettle now and then is all most homes need.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your river is the Western Rother, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Western Rother as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by 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

GU28 in short

Tap water in GU28 (Chichester) is supplied by Southern Water in the Chichester Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 22 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 30 April 2026.

  • 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
  • 3rd cleanest of 8 areas tested in ChichesterOnly 2 areas in Chichester scored higher. The best is GU29 on 9.5.
  • Moderately hard water at 154 mg/LSome scale over time across the GU postcode area, but not enough to justify a softener for most homes. How hardness is measured

Next door

GU319.3 out of 10 · 154 mg/LGU299.5 out of 10 · 154 mg/LPO109.1 out of 10PO189.5 out of 10PO209.0 out of 10PO199.1 out of 10RH149.3 out of 10 · 138 mg/L

Questions about GU28 water

Is GU28 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, GU28 (Chichester) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 22 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Southern Water.

What contaminants are in GU28 water?

We tested 22 contaminants in GU28 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in GU28?

GU28 (Chichester) is supplied by Southern Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is GU28 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for GU28 itself. Across the GU postcode area the typical value is 154 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in GU28?

GU28 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 GU28 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for GU28, 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 GU28?

The Environment Agency rated the Western Rother as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by 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 GU28, 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 GU28

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
pH7.95 pHNone
Temperature17.5 °CNone
Conductivity403 µS/cmNone
Nitrate4.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.018 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.078 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.25 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.044 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Iron0.037 mg/L0.2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for GU28.

Source: Southern 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