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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PL20, West DevonSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by South West Water. 405 samples, 16 substances, latest on 19 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 PL20 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 17% of it. 15 of 15 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0025 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Lead: 0.0001 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Cadmium: 0.00006 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium1%Bromate: 0.000132 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate1%Manganese: 0.000785 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%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%Colour: 2 mg/L Pt/Co, 10% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour10%Nitrate: 5 mg/L, 10% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate10%Aluminium: 0.0257 mg/L, 13% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium13%Nickel: 0.0033 mg/L, 17% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel17%
  1. Nickel17%
  2. Aluminium13%
  3. Colour10%
  4. Nitrate10%
  5. Arsenic6%
  6. Iron4%
  7. Turbidity3%
  8. Selenium3%
  9. Antimony2%
  10. Chromium2%
  11. Manganese2%
  12. Bromate1%
  13. Cadmium1%
  14. Lead1%
  15. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.9 pH
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Copper0.0025 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.0001 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.0033 mg/L0.02 mg/L
17%
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%
Manganese0.000785 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
pH7.9 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
Bromate0.000132 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%

28mg 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 Walkham, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Walkham 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. 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

7

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 1 site. The highest was PFOS at 0.00016 µg/L, at River Meavy at Burrator Reservoir Surface - Additional Historic Data on Urn R11B028, 4.0 km away, in September 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

PL20 in short

Tap water in PL20 (West Devon) is supplied by South West Water in the West Devon 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 19 December 2025.

  • 3rd cleanest of 4 areas tested in West Devon1 area in West Devon scored lower. The best is PL16 on 9.5.
  • Soft water at 28 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in PL20, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • PFAS found at 1 monitoring site within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOS about 4 km away. What was measured

Next door

EX209.4 out of 10 · 44 mg/LPL199.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/LPL169.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/L

Questions about PL20 water

Is PL20 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PL20 (West Devon) 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 PL20 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in PL20 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 PL20?

PL20 (West Devon) is supplied by South West Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PL20 water hard or soft?

Water in PL20 (West Devon) has a hardness of 28 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in PL20?

PL20 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 PL20 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for PL20 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 7 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of PL20, the highest being PFOS at 0.00016 µg/L about 4 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 PL20?

The Environment Agency rated the Walkham 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. 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 PL20, 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 PL20

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
pH7.11 pHNone
Temperature17.8 °CNone
Conductivity76 µS/cmNone
Dissolved Oxygen10 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.0047 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.37 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.0071 mg/LNone
Nitrite0.001 mg/L0.5 mg/L
PFAS (total)0.00011 µg/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