Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PL30, CornwallSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by South West Water. 1,118 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

Check price at Waterdrop (opens in new tab)
BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

£25typical price

Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)

We earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we put first. How we make money

What's in a glass of PL30 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%Manganese: 0.000619 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Bromate: 0.000132 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate1%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%Aluminium: 0.0257 mg/L, 13% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium13%Nitrate: 7.71 mg/L, 15% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate15%Nickel: 0.0033 mg/L, 17% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel17%
  1. Nickel17%
  2. Nitrate15%
  3. Aluminium13%
  4. Colour10%
  5. Arsenic6%
  6. Iron4%
  7. Turbidity3%
  8. Selenium3%
  9. Antimony2%
  10. Chromium2%
  11. Bromate1%
  12. Manganese1%
  13. Cadmium1%
  14. Lead1%
  15. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.8 pH
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
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%
Manganese0.000619 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
pH7.8 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
Copper0.0025 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.0001 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.0033 mg/L0.02 mg/L
17%
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%
Nitrate7.71 mg/L50 mg/L
15%
Selenium0.0012 mg/L0.04 mg/L
3%

34mg 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 Camel, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Lower River Camel as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae. 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. Its ecological rating has dropped since the previous assessment.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

PL30 in short

Tap water in PL30 (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 19 December 2025.

  • 13th cleanest of 45 areas tested in CornwallOnly 12 areas in Cornwall scored higher. The best is EX23 on 9.5.
  • Soft water at 34 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in PL30, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Nickel at 17% 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/LPL179.5 out of 10 · 26 mg/LPL319.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/LPL239.3 out of 10 · 33 mg/L

Questions about PL30 water

Is PL30 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PL30 (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 PL30 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in PL30 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in PL30?

PL30 (Cornwall) is supplied by South West Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PL30 water hard or soft?

Water in PL30 (Cornwall) has a hardness of 34 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in PL30?

PL30 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 PL30 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for PL30, 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 PL30?

The Environment Agency rated the Lower River Camel as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae. 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. Its ecological rating has dropped since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in PL30, 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 PL30

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
pH7.59 pHNone
Temperature16.2 °CNone
Conductivity176 µS/cmNone
Nitrate4.9 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.02 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.47 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.038 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrite0.013 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Lead0.00022 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000077 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Zinc0.022 mg/LNone
Nickel0.0024 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Aluminium0.025 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.0076 mg/L2 mg/L
Iron0.036 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)30.6 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for PL30.

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