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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in OL13, RossendaleSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,652 samples, 16 substances, latest on 19 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

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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of OL13 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 33% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000428 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00048 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Aluminium: 0.00271 mg/L, 1% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium1%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%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Nitrate: 2.66 mg/L, 5% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Bromate: 0.00075 mg/L, 8% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate8%Iron: 0.0196 mg/L, 10% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron10%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Nickel: 0.00275 mg/L, 14% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel14%Trihalomethanes: 0.0328 mg/L, 33% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes33%
  1. Trihalomethanes33%
  2. Nickel14%
  3. Ammonia11%
  4. Iron10%
  5. Bromate8%
  6. Antimony6%
  7. Lead6%
  8. Nitrate5%
  9. Turbidity4%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Nitrite2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Chromium2%
  14. Aluminium1%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Copper0.0000428 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00275 mg/L0.02 mg/L
14%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Aluminium0.00271 mg/L0.2 mg/L
1%
Iron0.0196 mg/L0.2 mg/L
10%
Manganese0.00048 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0328 mg/L0.1 mg/L
33%
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Nitrate2.66 mg/L50 mg/L
5%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.00075 mg/L0.01 mg/L
8%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%

22mg 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 Irwell (Source to Whitewell Brook), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Irwell (Source to Whitewell Brook) 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 and 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

OL13 in short

Tap water in OL13 (Rossendale) is supplied by United Utilities in the Rossendale 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 19 December 2024.

  • Soft water at 22 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in OL13, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 33% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading
  • Right on the national average of 9 out of 10Most of the country's tested districts land within half a point of OL13. Compare every area

Next door

BB49.5 out of 10 · 13 mg/L

Questions about OL13 water

Is OL13 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, OL13 (Rossendale) 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 OL13 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in OL13 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in OL13?

OL13 (Rossendale) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is OL13 water hard or soft?

Water in OL13 (Rossendale) has a hardness of 22 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in OL13?

OL13 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 OL13 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for OL13, 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 OL13?

The Environment Agency rated the Irwell (Source to Whitewell Brook) 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 and 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 OL13, 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 OL13

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
Lead0.112 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Chromium0.0854 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Nickel0.0249 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Iron4.05 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.7 pHNone
Temperature5.8 °CNone
Conductivity181 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.032 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.53 mg/L50 mg/L
Dissolved Oxygen11.8 mg/LNone
Nitrite0.0729 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.153 mg/LNone
Turbidity2.9 NTU4 NTU
Cadmium0.00198 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Zinc0.0714 mg/LNone
Aluminium0.063 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.00902 mg/L2 mg/L

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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