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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in LS16, LeedsSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 1,372 samples, 25 substances, latest on 18 September 2026. 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

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What's in a glass of LS16 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 31% of it. 19 of 20 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%Cadmium: 0.000031 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Copper: 0.0141 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Lead: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Arsenic: 0.00016 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Nitrite: 0.008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Boron: 0.0192 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Manganese: 0.00101 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Turbidity: 0.11 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Antimony: 0.000176 mg/L, 4% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony4%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Nickel: 0.00088 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Iron: 0.00903 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Fluoride: 0.08 mg/L, 5% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride5%Aluminium: 0.0111 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Bromate: 0.0006 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%Nitrate: 4.48 mg/L, 9% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate9%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0314 mg/L, 31% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes31%
  1. Trihalomethanes31%
  2. Colour15%
  3. Nitrate9%
  4. Bromate6%
  5. Aluminium6%
  6. Fluoride5%
  7. Iron5%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Mercury4%
  10. Antimony4%
  11. Turbidity3%
  12. Manganese2%
  13. Boron2%
  14. Arsenic2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Lead1%
  17. Selenium1%
  18. Copper<1%
  19. Cadmium<1%
  20. Chromium<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 323 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 1.06 mg/L
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Conductivity323 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.11 NTU4 NTU
3%
Manganese0.00101 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Iron0.00903 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Aluminium0.0111 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Phosphate1.06 mg/LNo legal limit–
Trihalomethanes0.0314 mg/L0.1 mg/L
31%
Antimony0.000176 mg/L0.005 mg/L
4%
Bromate0.0006 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Boron0.0192 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.00088 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Fluoride0.08 mg/L1.5 mg/L
5%
Copper0.0141 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Arsenic0.00016 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Nitrate4.48 mg/L50 mg/L
9%
Hardness (as CaCO3)129 mg/LNo legal limit–

140mg of limescale minerals in every litre

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 Meanwood Beck from Source to River Aire, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Meanwood Beck from Source to River Aire as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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

47

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 4 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.043 µg/L, at Adel Beck at Adel Mill Bridge, 1.7 km away, in May 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

LS16 in short

Tap water in LS16 (Leeds) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the Leeds Central zone and scores 9.6 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 25 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 18 September 2026.

  • 3rd cleanest of 28 areas tested in LeedsOnly 2 areas in Leeds scored higher. The best is LS21 on 9.7. Every area in Leeds
  • 0.6 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area
  • PFAS found at 4 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 1.7 km away. What was measured

Next door

LS49.5 out of 10 · 129 mg/LLS89.5 out of 10 · 157 mg/LLS29.5 out of 10 · 116 mg/LLS19.5 out of 10 · 104 mg/LLS59.5 out of 10 · 137 mg/LLS69.5 out of 10 · 135 mg/LLS39.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/LLS79.4 out of 10 · 141 mg/LBD119.6 out of 10 · 93 mg/LLS119.5 out of 10 · 137 mg/L

Questions about LS16 water

Is LS16 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, LS16 (Leeds) water scores 9.6/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in LS16 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in LS16 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 LS16?

LS16 (Leeds) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is LS16 water hard or soft?

Water in LS16 (Leeds) has a hardness of 140 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in LS16?

LS16 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 LS16 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for LS16 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 47 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of LS16, the highest being PFOA at 0.043 µg/L about 1.7 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 LS16?

The Environment Agency rated the Meanwood Beck from Source to River Aire as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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 LS16, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near LS16

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
Ammonia0.479 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrite1.14 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate5.53 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.194 mg/LNone
Turbidity2.4 NTU4 NTU
pH7.2 pHNone
Conductivity1040 µS/cmNone
Temperature12.9 °CNone
Hardness (as CaCO3)113 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen11.1 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for LS16.

Source: Yorkshire 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