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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE13, Newcastle upon TyneSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 3,512 samples, 20 substances, latest on 18 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.2 / 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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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 NE13 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.

Fluoride came closest to a limit, at 57% of it. 16 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCadmium: 0.00002 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Lead: 0.000065 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Boron: 0.012 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Chromium: 0.00067 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium1%Copper: 0.032 mg/L, 2% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper2%Arsenic: 0.00016 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Nitrate: 1.5 mg/L, 3% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate3%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Manganese: 0.0019 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Aluminium: 0.012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Turbidity: 0.3 NTU, 8% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity8%Nickel: 0.0015 mg/L, 8% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel8%Colour: 1.6 mg/L Pt/Co, 8% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour8%Iron: 0.11 mg/L, 55% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron55%Fluoride: 0.86 mg/L, 57% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride57%
  1. Fluoride57%
  2. Iron55%
  3. Colour8%
  4. Turbidity8%
  5. Nickel8%
  6. Aluminium6%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Manganese4%
  9. Antimony3%
  10. Nitrate3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Copper2%
  13. Arsenic2%
  14. Chromium1%
  15. Nitrite1%
  16. Boron1%
  17. Lead<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 6.9 pH
  • Conductivity 270 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron0.11 mg/L0.2 mg/L
55%
pH6.9 pHNo legal limit–
Manganese0.0019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Colour1.6 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
8%
Turbidity0.3 NTU4 NTU
8%
Conductivity270 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.012 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Copper0.032 mg/L2 mg/L
2%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%
Fluoride0.86 mg/L1.5 mg/L
57%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Cadmium0.00002 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.0015 mg/L0.02 mg/L
8%
Boron0.012 mg/L1 mg/L
1%
Arsenic0.00016 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%

150mg 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 Ouse Burn from Source to Tyne, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Ouse Burn from Source to Tyne as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by fish, 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

24

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 1 site. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L, at Med Burn at Medburn, 9.8 km away, in January 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

NE13 in short

Tap water in NE13 (Newcastle upon Tyne) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Newcastle upon Tyne Central zone and scores 9.2 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 20 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 18 December 2025.

  • 8th cleanest of 9 areas tested in Newcastle1 area in Newcastle scored lower. The best is NE7 on 9.6. Every area in Newcastle
  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 57% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • PFAS found at 1 monitoring site within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 9.8 km away. What was measured

Next door

NE69.2 out of 10 · 145 mg/LNE59.5 out of 10 · 150 mg/LNE49.3 out of 10 · 178 mg/LNE39.3 out of 10 · 225 mg/LNE19.4 out of 10 · 193 mg/LNE29.4 out of 10 · 183 mg/LNE79.6 out of 10 · 183 mg/LNE159.3 out of 10 · 150 mg/L

Questions about NE13 water

Is NE13 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE13 (Newcastle upon Tyne) water scores 9.2/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in NE13 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE13 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 NE13?

NE13 (Newcastle upon Tyne) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE13 water hard or soft?

Water in NE13 (Newcastle upon Tyne) has a hardness of 150 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE13?

NE13 water scored 9.2/10 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 NE13 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for NE13 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 24 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of NE13, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.023 µg/L about 9.8 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 NE13?

The Environment Agency rated the Ouse Burn from Source to Tyne as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by fish, 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 NE13, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near NE13

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
Temperature8.8 °CNone
pH7.47 pHNone
Conductivity793 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.47 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.012 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.021 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.55 mg/LNone

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Source: Northumbrian 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