Tap water in PL34, CornwallSafe to drink.Soft.
Supplied by South West Water. 294 samples, 16 substances, latest on 9 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.
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
£40typical price
Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals
Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink
£70typical price
High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity
BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO
£25typical price
Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget
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What's in a glass of PL34 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.
- Nickel17%
- Aluminium13%
- Colour10%
- Nitrate10%
- Arsenic9%
- Iron5%
- Turbidity4%
- Selenium3%
- Manganese3%
- Antimony2%
- Copper2%
- Chromium2%
- Bromate1%
- Cadmium1%
- Lead1%
- pH 7.1 pH
All 16 results as a table
| Substance | Result | Legal limit | Share of limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromate | 0.000132 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 1% |
| Aluminium | 0.0257 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L | 13% |
| Antimony | 0.0001 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | 2% |
| Arsenic | 0.00094 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 9% |
| Cadmium | 0.00006 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | 1% |
| Chromium | 0.0008 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | 2% |
| Colour | 2 mg/L Pt/Co | 20 mg/L Pt/Co | 10% |
| Iron | 0.0103 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L | 5% |
| Manganese | 0.00128 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | 3% |
| Nitrate | 5 mg/L | 50 mg/L | 10% |
| pH | 7.1 pH | No legal limit | – |
| Selenium | 0.0012 mg/L | 0.04 mg/L | 3% |
| Turbidity | 0.14 NTU | 4 NTU | 4% |
| Copper | 0.0387 mg/L | 2 mg/L | 2% |
| Lead | 0.0001 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 1% |
| Nickel | 0.0033 mg/L | 0.02 mg/L | 17% |
28mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the PL area. PL34 has no reading of its own.
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.
Your coastal water is the Cornwall North, rated moderate
The Environment Agency rated the Cornwall North as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the coastal water 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. 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
PL34 in short
Tap water in PL34 (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 9 December 2025.
- 16th cleanest of 45 areas tested in CornwallSquarely mid-table for Cornwall, between EX23 on 9.5 and TR1 on 8.3.
- Soft water at 28 mg/LLimescale is not a problem across the PL postcode area, 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
Questions about PL34 water
Is PL34 tap water safe to drink?
Based on the latest tests, PL34 (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 PL34 water?
We tested 16 contaminants in PL34 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.
Who supplies water in PL34?
PL34 (Cornwall) is supplied by South West Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.
Is PL34 water hard or soft?
No hardness reading has been published for PL34 itself. Across the PL postcode area the typical value is 28 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.
Should I use a water filter in PL34?
PL34 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 PL34 water?
No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for PL34, 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 coastal water near PL34?
The Environment Agency rated the Cornwall North as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the coastal water 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. Its ecological rating has dropped since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the coastal water, not of tap water in PL34, which is treated before it reaches homes.
Keep reading
- Is UK Tap Water Safe?Everything you need to know about tap water safety in the UK
- Best Water Filters UKEvery filter type compared on what it actually removes
- How to Test Your Tap WaterFrom DIY strips to professional lab analysis
- Best Water Filter Jug UKBRITA vs ZeroWater vs the rest, tested against real data
How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map
River and groundwater readings near PL34
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.
| Substance | Reading | Drinking water limit |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6.57 pH | None |
| Temperature | 10.3 °C | None |
| Conductivity | 175 µS/cm | None |
| Ammonia | 0.0074 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L |
| Nitrate | 2 mg/L | 50 mg/L |
| Phosphate | 0.035 mg/L | None |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 10.8 mg/L | None |
Get alerts for your area
We'll email you when water quality data changes for PL34.