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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in PL4, PlymouthSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by South West Water. 1,005 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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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of PL4 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: 0.0185 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%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%Manganese: 0.00117 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%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. Manganese2%
  10. Antimony2%
  11. Chromium2%
  12. Bromate1%
  13. Cadmium1%
  14. Lead1%
  15. Copper<1%
  • pH 7.5 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%
Manganese0.00117 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
pH7.5 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
Copper0.0185 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%
Nitrate5 mg/L50 mg/L
10%
Selenium0.0012 mg/L0.04 mg/L
3%

28mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the PL area. PL4 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.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your estuary is the Plymouth Tamar, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Plymouth Tamar as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the estuary is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by nitrogen and seaweed. 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

104

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 4 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.063 µg/L, at Plymouth Garden Centre Crownhill Plymouth Pipe Entering Storage Tank, 3.4 km away, in March 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

PL4 in short

Tap water in PL4 (Plymouth) is supplied by South West Water in the Plymouth 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.

  • 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
  • 4th cleanest of 8 areas tested in PlymouthSquarely mid-table for Plymouth, between PL1 on 9.5 and PL9 on 9.5. Every area in Plymouth
  • PFAS found at 4 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 3.4 km away. What was measured

Next door

PL29.5 out of 10 · 21 mg/LPL19.5 out of 10 · 17 mg/LPL59.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/LPL39.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/LPL69.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/LPL79.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/LPL99.5 out of 10 · 28 mg/L

Questions about PL4 water

Is PL4 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, PL4 (Plymouth) 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 PL4 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in PL4 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 PL4?

PL4 (Plymouth) is supplied by South West Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is PL4 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for PL4 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 PL4?

PL4 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 PL4 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for PL4 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 104 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of PL4, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.063 µg/L about 3.4 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 estuary near PL4?

The Environment Agency rated the Plymouth Tamar as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the estuary is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by nitrogen and seaweed. 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 estuary, not of tap water in PL4, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsAll of PlymouthUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

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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