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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in M17, TraffordSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 644 samples, 16 substances, latest on 20 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

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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 M17 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 35% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000257 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%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Iron: 0.0037 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron2%Manganese: 0.00095 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Bromate: 0.00033 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%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%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%Lead: 0.00091 mg/L, 9% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead9%Aluminium: 0.0193 mg/L, 10% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium10%Trihalomethanes: 0.0347 mg/L, 35% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes35%
  1. Trihalomethanes35%
  2. Aluminium10%
  3. Lead9%
  4. Ammonia6%
  5. Antimony6%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Nitrate4%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Bromate3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Iron2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Nitrate2.04 mg/L50 mg/L
4%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Aluminium0.0193 mg/L0.2 mg/L
10%
Iron0.0037 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Manganese0.00095 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Bromate0.00033 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Trihalomethanes0.0347 mg/L0.1 mg/L
35%
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%
Copper0.0000257 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00091 mg/L0.01 mg/L
9%

24mg 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 Irwell / Manchester Ship Canal (Irk to confluence with Upper Mersey), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Irwell / Manchester Ship Canal (Irk to confluence with Upper Mersey) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by ammonia and phosphate. 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

247

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 12 sites. The highest was PFBA at 0.05 µg/L, at Holts Brewery Replacement Borehole SJ89/283, 5.9 km away, in January 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

M17 in short

Tap water in M17 (Trafford) is supplied by United Utilities in the Trafford Central zone and scores 9.4 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 20 December 2024.

  • 3rd cleanest of 8 areas tested in TraffordOnly 2 areas in Trafford scored higher. The best is M33 on 9.5.
  • Soft water at 24 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in M17, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • PFAS found at 12 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBA about 5.9 km away. What was measured

Next door

M169.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/LM319.4 out of 10 · 23 mg/LM329.4 out of 10 · 24 mg/LM339.5 out of 10 · 27 mg/LM419.4 out of 10 · 23 mg/LWA149.4 out of 10 · 84 mg/LWA159.3 out of 10 · 80 mg/LM59.5 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM219.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM509.4 out of 10 · 29 mg/L

Questions about M17 water

Is M17 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, M17 (Trafford) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in M17 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in M17 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 M17?

M17 (Trafford) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is M17 water hard or soft?

Water in M17 (Trafford) has a hardness of 24 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in M17?

M17 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 M17 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for M17 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 247 river and groundwater samples from 12 sites within 10 km of M17, the highest being PFBA at 0.05 µg/L about 5.9 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 M17?

The Environment Agency rated the Irwell / Manchester Ship Canal (Irk to confluence with Upper Mersey) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by ammonia and phosphate. 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 M17, 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 M17

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
Iron5.1 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.99 pHNone
Temperature6.3 °CNone
Conductivity573 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.26 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate2.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.049 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.15 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.7 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for M17.

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