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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in NG23, Newark and SherwoodSafe to drink.Very hard.

Supplied by Severn Trent. 425 samples, 20 substances, latest on 29 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

Get softener quotes for NG23See 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

Hard water: compare softener quotes

At 341 mg/L a softener is the only thing that stops limescale. Filters do not soften water.

It pays for itself in most homes at this hardness, through a boiler that stays efficient and appliances that last.

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What's in a glass of NG23 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.

Nitrate came closest to a limit, at 64% of it. 16 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitSelenium: 0.00007 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Cadmium: 0.00002 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Nitrite: 0.003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Chromium: 0.00042 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Antimony: 0.000059 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony1%Lead: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Manganese: 0.00076 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Copper: 0.0405 mg/L, 2% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper2%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Colour: 0.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 4% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour4%Aluminium: 0.0094 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium5%Nickel: 0.001 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Fluoride: 0.08 mg/L, 5% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride5%Trihalomethanes: 0.0054 mg/L, 5% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes5%Arsenic: 0.00128 mg/L, 13% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic13%Nitrate: 31.9 mg/L, 64% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate64%
  1. Nitrate64%
  2. Arsenic13%
  3. Trihalomethanes5%
  4. Fluoride5%
  5. Nickel5%
  6. Aluminium5%
  7. Colour4%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Turbidity3%
  10. Copper2%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Lead1%
  13. Antimony1%
  14. Chromium<1%
  15. Nitrite<1%
  16. Cadmium<1%
  17. Selenium<1%
  • Conductivity 380 µS/cm
  • pH 7.89 pH
  • Phosphate 0.702 mg/L
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Conductivity380 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Colour0.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
pH7.89 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
Aluminium0.0094 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Trihalomethanes0.0054 mg/L0.1 mg/L
5%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00076 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Copper0.0405 mg/L2 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.08 mg/L1.5 mg/L
5%
Arsenic0.00128 mg/L0.01 mg/L
13%
Cadmium0.00002 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00042 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.001 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nitrate31.9 mg/L50 mg/L
64%
Antimony0.000059 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00007 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Phosphate0.702 mg/LNo legal limit–

341mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the NG area. NG23 has no reading of its own.

This is the water that furs up kettles

Very hard on the UK scale. It is fine to drink. It is hard on boilers, showers, skin and anything that heats water, and a jug or tap filter will not change that.

Soft400 mg/L

Softener quotes for NG23

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Outside your tap

Your river is the Slough Dyke Catchment (trib of Trent), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Slough Dyke Catchment (trib of Trent) 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, dissolved oxygen and ammonia. 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

NG23 in short

Tap water in NG23 (Newark and Sherwood) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Newark and Sherwood Central zone and scores 9.3 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 29 December 2025.

  • Among the hardest water in the country at 341 mg/LVery hard starts at 250 mg/L. At this level kettles scale up within weeks and a softener is a normal purchase across the NG postcode area. How hardness is measured
  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 64% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 2nd cleanest of 5 areas tested in Newark and SherwoodOnly 1 area in Newark and Sherwood scored higher. The best is NG24 on 9.6.

Next door

NG259.2 out of 10 · 341 mg/LNG249.6 out of 10 · 341 mg/LNG149.2 out of 10 · 341 mg/LNG229.2 out of 10 · 341 mg/L

Questions about NG23 water

Is NG23 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, NG23 (Newark and Sherwood) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.

What contaminants are in NG23 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in NG23 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in NG23?

NG23 (Newark and Sherwood) is supplied by Severn Trent. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is NG23 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for NG23 itself. Across the NG postcode area the typical value is 341 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as very hard. Hard water can cause limescale buildup. A water softener or filter jug may help.

Should I use a water filter in NG23?

NG23 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 NG23 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for NG23, 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 NG23?

The Environment Agency rated the Slough Dyke Catchment (trib of Trent) 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, dissolved oxygen and ammonia. 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 NG23, 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 NG23

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
Turbidity16 NTU4 NTU
pH8.69 pHNone
Temperature15.4 °CNone
Conductivity905 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.1 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate8.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.32 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen6.43 mg/LNone
Lead0.00084 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000058 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Zinc0.0065 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.0062 µg/LNone

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Source: Severn Trent 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