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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in OL10, RochdaleSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,823 samples, 16 substances, latest on 21 December 2024. 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 OL10 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 32% 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: 0.0012 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Iron: 0.0068 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Nitrate: 2.04 mg/L, 4% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Aluminium: 0.0112 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Bromate: 0.00061 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%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%Trihalomethanes: 0.0324 mg/L, 32% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes32%
  1. Trihalomethanes32%
  2. Ammonia6%
  3. Antimony6%
  4. Bromate6%
  5. Aluminium6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Turbidity5%
  8. Nitrate4%
  9. Nickel4%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Selenium2%
  13. Cadmium2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Trihalomethanes0.0324 mg/L0.1 mg/L
32%
Bromate0.00061 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.0112 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.0068 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.0012 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
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%

30mg 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 Roch (Spodden to Irwell), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Roch (Spodden to Irwell) 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

OL10 in short

Tap water in OL10 (Rochdale) is supplied by United Utilities in the Rochdale Central zone and scores 9.4 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 21 December 2024.

  • 4th cleanest of 6 areas tested in RochdaleSquarely mid-table for Rochdale, between OL15 on 9.6 and OL16 on 9.4.
  • Soft water at 30 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in OL10, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 32% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

M249.4 out of 10 · 31 mg/LOL119.4 out of 10 · 29 mg/LOL129.5 out of 10 · 39 mg/LOL159.6 out of 10 · 39 mg/LOL169.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/L

Questions about OL10 water

Is OL10 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, OL10 (Rochdale) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in OL10 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in OL10 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in OL10?

OL10 (Rochdale) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is OL10 water hard or soft?

Water in OL10 (Rochdale) has a hardness of 30 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in OL10?

OL10 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 OL10 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for OL10, 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 OL10?

The Environment Agency rated the Roch (Spodden to Irwell) 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 OL10, 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 OL10

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
pH7.9 pHNone
Temperature14.1 °CNone
Conductivity289 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.065 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.64 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.013 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.03 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.4 mg/LNone
Cadmium0.000042 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Mercury0.000012 mg/L0.001 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)87.5 mg/LNone
Copper0.00509 mg/L2 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for OL10.

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