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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in M18, ManchesterSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,449 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

9.3 / 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 M18 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 47% of it. 15 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%Nitrite: 0.0075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Manganese: 0.00078 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%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%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%Aluminium: 0.00988 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.00054 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%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%Trihalomethanes: 0.0469 mg/L, 47% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes47%
  1. Trihalomethanes47%
  2. Ammonia6%
  3. Antimony6%
  4. Lead6%
  5. Bromate5%
  6. Turbidity5%
  7. Aluminium5%
  8. Nitrate4%
  9. Nickel4%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Chromium2%
  14. Manganese2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Bromate0.00054 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.00988 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00078 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
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%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Trihalomethanes0.0469 mg/L0.1 mg/L
47%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Nitrate2.04 mg/L50 mg/L
4%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%

31mg 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 Platt Brook (Source to Fallowfield Bk), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Platt Brook (Source to Fallowfield Bk) 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 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

193

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 11 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.059 µg/L, at Ashton-U-Lyne Golf Club BH SD90/308, 9.1 km away, in September 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

M18 in short

Tap water in M18 (Manchester) is supplied by United Utilities in the Manchester Central zone and scores 9.3 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.

  • 16th cleanest of 17 areas tested in Manchester1 area in Manchester scored lower. The best is M22 on 9.5. Every area in Manchester
  • Trihalomethanes is the reading closest to its limit, at 47% of the 0.1 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • Soft water at 31 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in M18, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured

Next door

M29.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM209.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/LM89.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM19.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM119.3 out of 10 · 32 mg/LM49.5 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM149.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM219.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM409.3 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM99.4 out of 10 · 34 mg/L

Questions about M18 water

Is M18 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, M18 (Manchester) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in M18 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in M18 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 M18?

M18 (Manchester) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is M18 water hard or soft?

Water in M18 (Manchester) has a hardness of 31 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in M18?

M18 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 M18 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for M18 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 193 river and groundwater samples from 11 sites within 10 km of M18, the highest being PFOA at 0.059 µg/L about 9.1 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 M18?

The Environment Agency rated the Platt Brook (Source to Fallowfield Bk) 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 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 M18, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near M18

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
Iron0.24 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH8.15 pHNone
Temperature8.9 °CNone
Conductivity527 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.083 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate2.2 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.036 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.036 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen11.6 mg/LNone
Copper0.00015 mg/L2 mg/L
PFAS (total)0.00407 µg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for M18.

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