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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in M20, ManchesterSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,156 samples, 16 substances, latest on 30 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

£25typical price

Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of M20 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. 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%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%Manganese: 0.00195 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Bromate: 0.0004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Nitrate: 2.04 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Aluminium: 0.0115 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%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: 0.0314 mg/L, 31% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes31%
  1. Trihalomethanes31%
  2. Ammonia6%
  3. Antimony6%
  4. Aluminium6%
  5. Lead6%
  6. Nitrate4%
  7. Turbidity4%
  8. Bromate4%
  9. Manganese4%
  10. Nickel4%
  11. Iron3%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.0115 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00195 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Trihalomethanes0.0314 mg/L0.1 mg/L
31%
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Bromate0.0004 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
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%
Nitrate2.04 mg/L50 mg/L
4%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%

30mg 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 Chorlton Brook (Princess Parkway to Mersey), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Chorlton Brook (Princess Parkway to 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 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

165

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, 7.7 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

M20 in short

Tap water in M20 (Manchester) is supplied by United Utilities in the Manchester 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 30 December 2024.

  • Soft water at 30 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in M20, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • 10th cleanest of 17 areas tested in ManchesterSquarely mid-table for Manchester, between M22 on 9.5 and M40 on 9.3. Every area in Manchester
  • PFAS found at 12 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBA about 7.7 km away. What was measured

Next door

M149.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM19.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM29.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM89.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM49.5 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM119.3 out of 10 · 32 mg/LM219.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM159.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/LM139.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LM199.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/L

Questions about M20 water

Is M20 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, M20 (Manchester) 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 M20 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in M20 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 M20?

M20 (Manchester) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is M20 water hard or soft?

Water in M20 (Manchester) has a hardness of 30 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in M20?

M20 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 M20 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for M20 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 165 river and groundwater samples from 12 sites within 10 km of M20, the highest being PFBA at 0.05 µg/L about 7.7 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 M20?

The Environment Agency rated the Chorlton Brook (Princess Parkway to 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 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 M20, 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 M20

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
pH8.21 pHNone
Temperature8.8 °CNone
Conductivity517 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.059 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate1.2 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.019 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.051 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen11.3 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for M20.

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