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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PL17, CornwallSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by South West Water. 334 samples, 16 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

9.5 / 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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of PL17 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.

Nickel came closest to a limit, at 19% of it. 15 of 15 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0162 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Cadmium: 0.00006 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium1%Lead: 0.000136 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Bromate: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate1%Manganese: 0.000742 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Chromium: 0.0008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Antimony: 0.0001 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony2%Selenium: 0.0012 mg/L, 3% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium3%Turbidity: 0.13 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Iron: 0.0076 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron4%Arsenic: 0.00062 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic6%Nitrate: 5 mg/L, 10% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate10%Colour: 2 mg/L Pt/Co, 10% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour10%Aluminium: 0.0257 mg/L, 13% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium13%Nickel: 0.00386 mg/L, 19% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel19%
  1. Nickel19%
  2. Aluminium13%
  3. Nitrate10%
  4. Colour10%
  5. Arsenic6%
  6. Iron4%
  7. Turbidity3%
  8. Selenium3%
  9. Antimony2%
  10. Chromium2%
  11. Manganese1%
  12. Bromate1%
  13. Lead1%
  14. Cadmium1%
  15. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.7 pH
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Bromate0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.0001 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Arsenic0.00062 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Cadmium0.00006 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Chromium0.0008 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Nitrate5 mg/L50 mg/L
10%
Selenium0.0012 mg/L0.04 mg/L
3%
Aluminium0.0257 mg/L0.2 mg/L
13%
Colour2 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
10%
Iron0.0076 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
Manganese0.000742 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
pH7.7 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
Copper0.0162 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.000136 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.00386 mg/L0.02 mg/L
19%

26mg 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 Lower River Lynher, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Lower River Lynher as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by specific pollutants. 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

PL17 in short

Tap water in PL17 (Cornwall) is supplied by South West Water in the Cornwall Central zone and scores 9.5 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 2025.

  • 8th cleanest of 45 areas tested in CornwallOnly 7 areas in Cornwall scored higher. The best is EX23 on 9.5.
  • Soft water at 26 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in PL17, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Nickel at 19% of the 0.02 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

EX239.5 out of 10 · 48 mg/LPL109.5 out of 10 · 26 mg/LPL119.5 out of 10 · 26 mg/LPL129.5 out of 10 · 26 mg/LPL139.5 out of 10 · 38 mg/LPL149.5 out of 10 · 38 mg/LPL159.5 out of 10 · 42 mg/LPL309.5 out of 10 · 34 mg/LPL289.5 out of 10 · 34 mg/LPL259.4 out of 10 · 33 mg/L

Questions about PL17 water

Is PL17 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PL17 (Cornwall) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by South West Water.

What contaminants are in PL17 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in PL17 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in PL17?

PL17 (Cornwall) is supplied by South West Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PL17 water hard or soft?

Water in PL17 (Cornwall) has a hardness of 26 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in PL17?

PL17 water scored 9.5/10 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 PL17 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for PL17, 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 PL17?

The Environment Agency rated the Lower River Lynher as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by specific pollutants. 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 PL17, 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 PL17

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
pH7.56 pHNone
Temperature14.7 °CNone
Conductivity161 µS/cmNone
Nitrate2.3 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.015 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.075 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.1 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.032 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Lead0.00026 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Zinc0.03 mg/LNone
Nickel0.0019 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Aluminium0.099 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.051 mg/L2 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)51.5 mg/LNone

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Source: South West 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