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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in LS18, LeedsSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 914 samples, 25 substances, latest on 15 September 2026. 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

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What's in a glass of LS18 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.

Nickel came closest to a limit, at 41% of it. 17 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%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Lead: 0.00015 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Arsenic: 0.00015 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Nitrite: 0.008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Copper: 0.0342 mg/L, 2% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper2%Manganese: 0.00101 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Boron: 0.0219 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Antimony: 0.000117 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony2%Turbidity: 0.11 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Iron: 0.00629 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Aluminium: 0.0111 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Fluoride: 0.13 mg/L, 9% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride9%Nitrate: 7.33 mg/L, 15% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate15%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Bromate: 0.0027 mg/L, 27% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate27%Trihalomethanes: 0.0298 mg/L, 30% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes30%Nickel: 0.00822 mg/L, 41% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel41%
  1. Nickel41%
  2. Trihalomethanes30%
  3. Bromate27%
  4. Colour15%
  5. Nitrate15%
  6. Fluoride9%
  7. Aluminium6%
  8. Mercury4%
  9. Iron3%
  10. Turbidity3%
  11. Antimony2%
  12. Boron2%
  13. Manganese2%
  14. Copper2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Lead1%
  17. Arsenic1%
  18. Selenium1%
  19. Cadmium<1%
  20. Chromium<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 299 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 1.35 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
Iron0.00629 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00101 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Aluminium0.0111 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Conductivity299 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Turbidity0.11 NTU4 NTU
3%
Phosphate1.35 mg/LNo legal limit–
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Nitrate7.33 mg/L50 mg/L
15%
Boron0.0219 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Copper0.0342 mg/L2 mg/L
2%
Lead0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Bromate0.0027 mg/L0.01 mg/L
27%
Antimony0.000117 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Arsenic0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Trihalomethanes0.0298 mg/L0.1 mg/L
30%
Fluoride0.13 mg/L1.5 mg/L
9%
Nickel0.00822 mg/L0.02 mg/L
41%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Hardness (as CaCO3)147 mg/LNo legal limit–

143mg 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 Aire from Gill Beck (Baildon) to Wyke Beck, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Aire from Gill Beck (Baildon) to Wyke 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 phosphate, insects and other small river life 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

Within 10 km

24

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.043 µg/L, at Adel Beck at Adel Mill Bridge, 4.6 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

LS18 in short

Tap water in LS18 (Leeds) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the Leeds Central zone and scores 9.3 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 15 September 2026.

  • 26th cleanest of 28 areas tested in Leeds2 areas in Leeds scored lower. The best is LS21 on 9.7. Every area in Leeds
  • Every one of the 10 neighbouring districts scores higherLS3 next door scores 9.6, against 9.3 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See LS3
  • Nickel is the reading closest to its limit, at 41% of the 0.02 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading

Next door

LS39.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/LLS79.4 out of 10 · 141 mg/LLS19.5 out of 10 · 104 mg/LLS49.5 out of 10 · 129 mg/LLS59.5 out of 10 · 137 mg/LLS29.5 out of 10 · 116 mg/LLS89.5 out of 10 · 157 mg/LLS69.5 out of 10 · 135 mg/LBD119.6 out of 10 · 93 mg/LLS169.6 out of 10 · 140 mg/L

Questions about LS18 water

Is LS18 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, LS18 (Leeds) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in LS18 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in LS18 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 LS18?

LS18 (Leeds) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is LS18 water hard or soft?

Water in LS18 (Leeds) has a hardness of 143 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in LS18?

LS18 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 LS18 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for LS18 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 24 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of LS18, the highest being PFOA at 0.043 µg/L about 4.6 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 LS18?

The Environment Agency rated the Aire from Gill Beck (Baildon) to Wyke 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 phosphate, insects and other small river life 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 LS18, 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 LS18

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
Ammonia0.604 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Turbidity5.2 NTU4 NTU
Nitrite1.14 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate1.39 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.07 mg/LNone
pH7.2 pHNone
Conductivity1040 µS/cmNone
Temperature12.9 °CNone
Hardness (as CaCO3)167 mg/LNone
Copper0.00253 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0251 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.66 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for LS18.

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