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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in LA21, Westmorland and FurnessSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 400 samples, 16 substances, latest on 31 December 2024. 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

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£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

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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 LA21 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 14% of it. 16 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00045 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<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%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: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Nitrate: 2.04 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Bromate: 0.00056 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%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%Trihalomethanes: 0.0142 mg/L, 14% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes14%
  1. Trihalomethanes14%
  2. Ammonia6%
  3. Antimony6%
  4. Bromate6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Nitrate4%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Iron3%
  10. Aluminium3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Chromium2%
  14. Nitrite2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Nitrate2.04 mg/L50 mg/L
4%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Trihalomethanes0.0142 mg/L0.1 mg/L
14%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00056 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%

22mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the LA area. LA21 has no reading of its own.

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 Church Beck, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Church Beck 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 specific pollutants. 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

LA21 in short

Tap water in LA21 (Westmorland and Furness) is supplied by United Utilities in the Westmorland and Furness Central zone and scores 9.6 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 31 December 2024.

  • 2nd cleanest of 19 areas tested in Westmorland and FurnessOnly 1 area in Westmorland and Furness scored higher. The best is LA12 on 9.6.
  • Soft water at 22 mg/LLimescale is not a problem across the LA postcode area, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • 0.6 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area

Next door

CA179.5 out of 10 · 22 mg/LCA119.4 out of 10 · 164 mg/LLA119.5 out of 10 · 22 mg/LLA159.5 out of 10 · 36 mg/LLA229.4 out of 10 · 22 mg/LLA139.5 out of 10 · 26 mg/LLA149.5 out of 10 · 84 mg/LLA179.5 out of 10 · 14 mg/LLA129.6 out of 10 · 36 mg/LLA209.5 out of 10 · 14 mg/L

Questions about LA21 water

Is LA21 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, LA21 (Westmorland and Furness) water scores 9.6/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in LA21 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in LA21 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in LA21?

LA21 (Westmorland and Furness) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is LA21 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for LA21 itself. Across the LA postcode area the typical value is 22 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in LA21?

LA21 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 LA21 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for LA21, 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 LA21?

The Environment Agency rated the Church Beck 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 specific pollutants. 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 LA21, 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 LA21

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
pH7.44 pHNone
Temperature7.1 °CNone
Conductivity63.7 µS/cmNone
Aluminium0.0197 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Dissolved Oxygen12.4 mg/LNone
Iron0.056 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.00236 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0115 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for LA21.

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