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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in RH17, Mid SussexSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Southern Water. 1,709 samples, 22 substances, latest on 9 April 2026. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.3 / 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 RH17 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.

Nitrate came closest to a limit, at 44% of it. 16 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0017 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.00018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Nitrite: 0.003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Cadmium: 0.00003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Selenium: 0.00032 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Lead: 0.00009 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Antimony: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony2%Arsenic: 0.00026 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic3%Turbidity: 0.13 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Manganese: 0.00178 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Bromate: 0.0004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Iron: 0.00928 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Ammonia: 0.025 mg/L, 5% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia5%Aluminium: 0.0113 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nickel: 0.00213 mg/L, 11% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel11%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0415 mg/L, 42% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes42%Nitrate: 21.8 mg/L, 44% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate44%
  1. Nitrate44%
  2. Trihalomethanes42%
  3. Colour15%
  4. Nickel11%
  5. Aluminium6%
  6. Ammonia5%
  7. Iron5%
  8. Bromate4%
  9. Manganese4%
  10. Turbidity3%
  11. Arsenic3%
  12. Antimony2%
  13. Lead<1%
  14. Selenium<1%
  15. Nitrite<1%
  16. Cadmium<1%
  17. Chromium<1%
  18. Copper<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • pH 7.4 pH
  • Conductivity 387 µS/cm
All 22 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron0.00928 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Manganese0.00178 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Bromate0.0004 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Nitrate21.8 mg/L50 mg/L
44%
Aluminium0.0113 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
pH7.4 pHNo legal limit–
Ammonia0.025 mg/L0.5 mg/L
5%
Conductivity387 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Copper0.0017 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0415 mg/L0.1 mg/L
42%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00026 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Cadmium0.00003 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00018 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00213 mg/L0.02 mg/L
11%
Antimony0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Selenium0.00032 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%

148mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the RH area. RH17 has no reading of its own.

Middling hardness. Some scale, slowly

Below the point where a softener pays for itself. Descaling the kettle now and then is all most homes need.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your river is the Scrase Bridge Stream at Haywards Heath, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Scrase Bridge Stream at Haywards Heath as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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

54

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 1 site. The highest was PFBS at 0.057 µg/L, at RSN0537 Adur East Churchill Way Burgesshill, 7.5 km away, in July 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

RH17 in short

Tap water in RH17 (Mid Sussex) is supplied by Southern Water in the Mid Sussex Central zone and scores 9.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 22 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 9 April 2026.

  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 44% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 3rd cleanest of 5 areas tested in Mid SussexSquarely mid-table for Mid Sussex, between BN45 on 9.4 and RH16 on 7.
  • PFAS found at 1 monitoring site within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBS about 7.5 km away. What was measured

Next door

BN459.4 out of 10BN69.0 out of 10RH159.4 out of 10 · 148 mg/LRH167.0 out of 10 · 148 mg/L

Also nearby: RH19

Questions about RH17 water

Is RH17 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, RH17 (Mid Sussex) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 22 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Southern Water.

What contaminants are in RH17 water?

We tested 22 contaminants in RH17 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 RH17?

RH17 (Mid Sussex) is supplied by Southern Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is RH17 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for RH17 itself. Across the RH postcode area the typical value is 148 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in RH17?

RH17 water scored 9.3/10 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 RH17 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for RH17 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 54 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of RH17, the highest being PFBS at 0.057 µg/L about 7.5 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 RH17?

The Environment Agency rated the Scrase Bridge Stream at Haywards Heath as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. 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 RH17, 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 RH17

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
Manganese0.0706 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.1 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Nickel0.0011 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Dissolved Oxygen8.38 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for RH17.

Source: Southern 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