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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in L38, SeftonSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 432 samples, 15 substances, latest on 13 December 2024. 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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What's in a glass of L38 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 30% of it. 14 of 15 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000746 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00037 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Iron: 0.0024 mg/L, 1% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron1%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%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Aluminium: 0.00375 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%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%Nitrate: 7.57 mg/L, 15% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0304 mg/L, 30% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes30%
  1. Trihalomethanes30%
  2. Nitrate15%
  3. Ammonia6%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Turbidity4%
  7. Nickel4%
  8. Selenium2%
  9. Aluminium2%
  10. Cadmium2%
  11. Chromium2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Iron1%
  14. Manganese<1%
  15. Copper<1%
All 15 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.00375 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Iron0.0024 mg/L0.2 mg/L
1%
Manganese0.00037 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Copper0.0000746 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Nitrate7.57 mg/L50 mg/L
15%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0304 mg/L0.1 mg/L
30%

89mg 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 Alt DS Bull Bridge, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Alt DS Bull Bridge as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, phosphate and fish. 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

3

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.0041 µg/L, at Lydiate(Gorehouses)main Bore Wrb NO.SD30/54A, 5.7 km away, in September 2023. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

L38 in short

Tap water in L38 (Sefton) is supplied by United Utilities in the Sefton Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 15 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 13 December 2024.

  • 3rd cleanest of 12 areas tested in SeftonOnly 2 areas in Sefton scored higher. The best is L21 on 9.4.
  • PFAS found at 2 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 5.7 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 30% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

L108.8 out of 10 · 89 mg/LL379.3 out of 10 · 251 mg/LL209.2 out of 10 · 86 mg/LL219.4 out of 10 · 86 mg/LL229.3 out of 10 · 90 mg/LL239.4 out of 10 · 90 mg/LL309.1 out of 10 · 89 mg/LL319.2 out of 10 · 92 mg/LPR99.3 out of 10 · 253 mg/LPR89.3 out of 10 · 258 mg/L

Questions about L38 water

Is L38 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, L38 (Sefton) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 15 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in L38 water?

We tested 15 contaminants in L38 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 L38?

L38 (Sefton) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is L38 water hard or soft?

Water in L38 (Sefton) has a hardness of 89 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in L38?

L38 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 L38 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for L38 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 3 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of L38, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.0041 µg/L about 5.7 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 L38?

The Environment Agency rated the Alt DS Bull Bridge as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, phosphate and fish. 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 L38, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near L38

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
Iron4 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.42 pHNone
Temperature11.6 °CNone
Conductivity495 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.25 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate6.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.12 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.24 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.24 mg/LNone
Arsenic0.002 mg/L0.01 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for L38.

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