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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in M44, SalfordSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,002 samples, 16 substances, latest on 31 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.5 / 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

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of M44 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 19% of it. 16 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000357 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00041 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Iron: 0.0031 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron2%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%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Bromate: 0.00034 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Nitrate: 2.44 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%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%Nickel: 0.00145 mg/L, 7% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel7%Aluminium: 0.0184 mg/L, 9% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium9%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Trihalomethanes: 0.0188 mg/L, 19% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes19%
  1. Trihalomethanes19%
  2. Ammonia11%
  3. Aluminium9%
  4. Nickel7%
  5. Antimony6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Turbidity5%
  8. Nitrate5%
  9. Bromate3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Nitrite2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Chromium2%
  14. Iron2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.0184 mg/L0.2 mg/L
9%
Iron0.0031 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Manganese0.00041 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Nitrate2.44 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
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%
Trihalomethanes0.0188 mg/L0.1 mg/L
19%
Copper0.0000357 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00145 mg/L0.02 mg/L
7%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00034 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%

21mg 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

232

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 12 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.026 µg/L, at Manchester Ship Canal at Media City Footbridge (Turning Basin), 9.1 km away, in January 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

M44 in short

Tap water in M44 (Salford) is supplied by United Utilities in the Salford Central zone and scores 9.5 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 31 December 2024.

  • Soft water at 21 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in M44, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • 5th cleanest of 10 areas tested in ManchesterSquarely mid-table for Manchester, between M27 on 9.6 and M6 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 6:2 FTSA about 9.1 km away. What was measured

Next door

M39.4 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM59.5 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM509.4 out of 10 · 29 mg/LM69.3 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM79.4 out of 10 · 28 mg/LM279.6 out of 10 · 22 mg/LM309.5 out of 10 · 24 mg/LM289.5 out of 10 · 21 mg/LM389.5 out of 10 · 21 mg/LM319.4 out of 10 · 23 mg/L

Questions about M44 water

Is M44 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, M44 (Salford) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in M44 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in M44 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 M44?

M44 (Salford) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is M44 water hard or soft?

Water in M44 (Salford) has a hardness of 21 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in M44?

M44 water scored 9.5/10 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 M44 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for M44 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 232 river and groundwater samples from 12 sites within 10 km of M44, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.026 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 M44?

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 M44, 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 M44

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
Ammonia0.81 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH6.66 pHNone
Temperature17.2 °CNone
Conductivity588 µS/cmNone
Nitrate16 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.14 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.063 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.82 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.0051 µg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for M44.

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