Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in L1, LiverpoolSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 681 samples, 16 substances, latest on 1 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.3 / 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 L1 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.

Trihalomethanes came closest to a limit, at 50% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000164 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Nitrite: 0.0075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Manganese: 0.0009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Aluminium: 0.00683 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Nickel: 0.00079 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Bromate: 0.00043 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Nitrate: 2.48 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Ammonia: 0.0321 mg/L, 6% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia6%Iron: 0.0147 mg/L, 7% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron7%Trihalomethanes: 0.0504 mg/L, 50% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes50%
  1. Trihalomethanes50%
  2. Iron7%
  3. Ammonia6%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Nitrate5%
  7. Bromate4%
  8. Turbidity4%
  9. Nickel4%
  10. Aluminium3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Manganese2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Aluminium0.00683 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.0147 mg/L0.2 mg/L
7%
Manganese0.0009 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Nitrate2.48 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Copper0.0000164 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00079 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Trihalomethanes0.0504 mg/L0.1 mg/L
50%
Bromate0.00043 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%

68mg 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 estuary is the Mersey, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Mersey as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the estuary is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, specific pollutants and algal blooms. 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

37

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 5 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.0076 µg/L, at Eli Lilly Abh No 4 SJ48/105, 10.0 km away, in July 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

L1 in short

Tap water in L1 (Liverpool) is supplied by United Utilities in the Liverpool Central zone and scores 9.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 1 December 2024.

  • Trihalomethanes is the reading closest to its limit, at 50% of the 0.1 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 7th cleanest of 21 areas tested in LiverpoolOnly 6 areas in Liverpool scored higher. The best is L6 on 9.5. Every area in Liverpool
  • PFAS found at 5 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 10 km away. What was measured

Next door

L49.3 out of 10 · 71 mg/LL69.5 out of 10 · 71 mg/LL59.4 out of 10 · 71 mg/LL89.3 out of 10 · 63 mg/LL79.5 out of 10 · 63 mg/LL39.4 out of 10 · 68 mg/LL29.3 out of 10 · 68 mg/LL99.2 out of 10 · 89 mg/LL119.2 out of 10 · 91 mg/LL129.2 out of 10 · 63 mg/L

Questions about L1 water

Is L1 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, L1 (Liverpool) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in L1 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in L1 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 L1?

L1 (Liverpool) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is L1 water hard or soft?

Water in L1 (Liverpool) has a hardness of 68 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in L1?

L1 water scored 9.3/10 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 L1 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for L1 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 37 river and groundwater samples from 5 sites within 10 km of L1, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.0076 µg/L about 10 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 estuary near L1?

The Environment Agency rated the Mersey as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the estuary is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, specific pollutants and algal blooms. 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 estuary, not of tap water in L1, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near L1

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
Manganese0.156 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.63 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Boron0.859 mg/L1 mg/L
Fluoride0.522 mg/L1.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.124 mg/LNone
Chromium0.000521 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Zinc0.0093 mg/LNone
Nickel0.00674 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Aluminium0.111 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.00538 mg/L2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for L1.

Source: United Utilities 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