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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NE46, NorthumberlandSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 4,407 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

9.4 / 10

The tank is as full as the score. The specks are the minerals that make water hard.

What to do about it

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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 NE46 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 58% of it. 17 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCadmium: 0.000018 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%Manganese: 0.00034 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Boron: 0.008 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<1%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%Selenium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Arsenic: 0.00021 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Iron: 0.0052 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%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%Copper: 0.081 mg/L, 4% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper4%Nickel: 0.00083 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%Colour: 1.7 mg/L Pt/Co, 9% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour9%Aluminium: 0.026 mg/L, 13% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium13%Fluoride: 0.87 mg/L, 58% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride58%
  1. Fluoride58%
  2. Aluminium13%
  3. Colour9%
  4. Bromate6%
  5. Turbidity5%
  6. Nickel4%
  7. Copper4%
  8. Antimony3%
  9. Nitrate3%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Arsenic2%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Chromium1%
  14. Nitrite1%
  15. Boron<1%
  16. Manganese<1%
  17. Lead<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.1 pH
  • Conductivity 130 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
pH7.1 pHNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.026 mg/L0.2 mg/L
13%
Manganese0.00034 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Conductivity130 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Iron0.0052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Colour1.7 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
9%
Bromate0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Arsenic0.00021 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.87 mg/L1.5 mg/L
58%
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00083 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Copper0.081 mg/L2 mg/L
4%
Nickel0.00083 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Nitrate1.5 mg/L50 mg/L
3%
Boron0.008 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00067 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%

103mg 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 Tyne from Watersmeet to Tidal Limit, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Tyne from Watersmeet to Tidal Limit 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. 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

NE46 in short

Tap water in NE46 (Northumberland) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the Northumberland Central zone and scores 9.4 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.

  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 58% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 15th cleanest of 28 areas tested in NorthumberlandSquarely mid-table for Northumberland, between NE41 on 9.8 and TD15 on 9.3.
  • Moderately soft water at 103 mg/LLittle limescale to speak of in NE46. A softener would be money wasted. How hardness is measured

Next door

NE209.3 out of 10 · 138 mg/LCA99.4 out of 10 · 8 mg/LNE679.3 out of 10 · 168 mg/LNE709.3 out of 10 · 168 mg/LNE719.4 out of 10 · 135 mg/LNE699.3 out of 10 · 168 mg/LNE479.8 out of 10 · 153 mg/LNE249.4 out of 10 · 143 mg/LNE239.3 out of 10 · 158 mg/LNE229.5 out of 10 · 150 mg/L

Questions about NE46 water

Is NE46 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NE46 (Northumberland) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in NE46 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NE46 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in NE46?

NE46 (Northumberland) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NE46 water hard or soft?

Water in NE46 (Northumberland) has a hardness of 103 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in NE46?

NE46 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 NE46 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for NE46, and the Environment Agency has no PFAS detections in rivers or groundwater within 10 km of it. That reflects where sampling has happened as much as the water itself.

How clean is the river near NE46?

The Environment Agency rated the Tyne from Watersmeet to Tidal Limit 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. 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 NE46, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near NE46

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
pH8.15 pHNone
Temperature16.4 °CNone
Conductivity133 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.1 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.0023 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10 mg/LNone
Lead0.00059 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000027 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Nitrite0.0012 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Zinc0.012 mg/LNone
Nickel0.00095 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Turbidity1.3 NTU4 NTU
Copper0.00084 mg/L2 mg/L
Manganese0.013 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.037 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Ammonia0.0043 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)55.6 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