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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in OL1, OldhamSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 2,299 samples, 16 substances, latest on 18 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

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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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of OL1 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 38% 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%Manganese: 0.0011 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Aluminium: 0.00485 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium2%Nitrate: 2.04 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Iron: 0.009 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Bromate: 0.00046 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Turbidity: 0.24 NTU, 6% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity6%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%Nickel: 0.00364 mg/L, 18% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel18%Trihalomethanes: 0.0377 mg/L, 38% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes38%
  1. Trihalomethanes38%
  2. Nickel18%
  3. Ammonia6%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Turbidity6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Bromate5%
  8. Iron5%
  9. Nitrate4%
  10. Aluminium2%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron0.009 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Manganese0.0011 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Turbidity0.24 NTU4 NTU
6%
Aluminium0.00485 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.00046 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00364 mg/L0.02 mg/L
18%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Trihalomethanes0.0377 mg/L0.1 mg/L
38%
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%

27mg 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 Medlock (Source to Lumb Brook), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Medlock (Source to Lumb Brook) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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

39

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 2 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.059 µg/L, at Ashton-U-Lyne Golf Club BH SD90/308, 5.5 km away, in September 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

OL1 in short

Tap water in OL1 (Oldham) is supplied by United Utilities in the Oldham Central zone and scores 9.3 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 18 December 2024.

  • The lowest score of the 7 areas tested in OldhamOL1 scores 9.3 out of 10. The best in Oldham, OL9, scores 9.5.
  • Every one of the 6 neighbouring districts scores higherOL9 next door scores 9.5, against 9.3 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See OL9
  • Soft water at 27 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in OL1, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured

Next door

M359.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/LOL89.4 out of 10 · 24 mg/LOL99.5 out of 10 · 30 mg/LOL29.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/LOL39.4 out of 10 · 45 mg/LOL49.4 out of 10 · 24 mg/L

Questions about OL1 water

Is OL1 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, OL1 (Oldham) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in OL1 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in OL1 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 OL1?

OL1 (Oldham) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is OL1 water hard or soft?

Water in OL1 (Oldham) has a hardness of 27 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in OL1?

OL1 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 OL1 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for OL1 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 39 river and groundwater samples from 2 sites within 10 km of OL1, the highest being PFOA at 0.059 µg/L about 5.5 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 OL1?

The Environment Agency rated the Medlock (Source to Lumb Brook) as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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 OL1, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near OL1

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
Ammonia3.8 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH7.5 pHNone
Conductivity820 µS/cmNone
Nitrate2.8 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.12 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate1.4 mg/LNone
Temperature7.9 °CNone
Dissolved Oxygen12.1 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for OL1.

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