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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in RH3, Mole ValleySafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Thames Water. 71 samples, 23 substances, latest on 31 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.4 / 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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What's in a glass of RH3 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.

Nitrite came closest to a limit, at 14% of it. 19 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitSelenium: 0.0004 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Manganese: 0.0007 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Boron: 0.02 mg/L, 2% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron2%Trihalomethanes: 0.002 mg/L, 2% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes2%Copper: 0.07 mg/L, 4% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper4%Aluminium: 0.0082 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium4%Chromium: 0.0025 mg/L, 5% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium5%Antimony: 0.0003 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Nitrate: 3.1 mg/L, 6% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate6%Mercury: 0.00007 mg/L, 7% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury7%Arsenic: 0.0007 mg/L, 7% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic7%Iron: 0.015 mg/L, 8% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron8%Fluoride: 0.12 mg/L, 8% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride8%Cadmium: 0.0004 mg/L, 8% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium8%Colour: 1.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 9% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour9%Bromate: 0.001 mg/L, 10% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate10%Nickel: 0.0024 mg/L, 12% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel12%Lead: 0.0013 mg/L, 13% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead13%Nitrite: 0.07 mg/L, 14% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite14%
  1. Nitrite14%
  2. Lead13%
  3. Nickel12%
  4. Bromate10%
  5. Colour9%
  6. Fluoride8%
  7. Cadmium8%
  8. Iron8%
  9. Mercury7%
  10. Arsenic7%
  11. Nitrate6%
  12. Antimony6%
  13. Chromium5%
  14. Aluminium4%
  15. Copper4%
  16. Boron2%
  17. Trihalomethanes2%
  18. Manganese1%
  19. Selenium1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 287 µS/cm
All 23 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Colour1.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
9%
Conductivity287 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Fluoride0.12 mg/L1.5 mg/L
8%
Nitrate3.1 mg/L50 mg/L
6%
Nitrite0.07 mg/L0.5 mg/L
14%
Hardness (as CaCO3)154 mg/LNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.0082 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
Antimony0.0003 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Arsenic0.0007 mg/L0.01 mg/L
7%
Boron0.02 mg/L1 mg/L
2%
Cadmium0.0004 mg/L0.005 mg/L
8%
Chromium0.0025 mg/L0.05 mg/L
5%
Copper0.07 mg/L2 mg/L
4%
Iron0.015 mg/L0.2 mg/L
8%
Lead0.0013 mg/L0.01 mg/L
13%
Manganese0.0007 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Mercury0.00007 mg/L0.001 mg/L
7%
Nickel0.0024 mg/L0.02 mg/L
12%
Selenium0.0004 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Trihalomethanes0.002 mg/L0.1 mg/L
2%
Bromate0.001 mg/L0.01 mg/L
10%

154mg of limescale minerals in every litre

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 Mole - Horley to Dorking, rated bad

The Environment Agency rated the Mole - Horley to Dorking as bad for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is severely damaged, with most of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by insects and other small river life, phosphate and 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

RH3 in short

Tap water in RH3 (Mole Valley) is supplied by Thames Water in the Mole Valley Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 23 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 31 December 2025.

  • The cleanest tap water of the 6 areas tested in Mole ValleyRH3 scores 9.4 out of 10, ahead of RH5 in second place on 9.1.
  • Scores higher than all 5 neighbouring districtsThe nearest rival is RH5 on 9.1, against 9.4 here. Compare with RH5
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Nitrite at 14% of the 0.5 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

KT238.8 out of 10 · 204 mg/LKT217.8 out of 10 · 287 mg/LKT228.8 out of 10 · 141 mg/LRH59.1 out of 10 · 75 mg/LRH48.8 out of 10 · 138 mg/L

Questions about RH3 water

Is RH3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, RH3 (Mole Valley) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 23 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Thames Water.

What contaminants are in RH3 water?

We tested 23 contaminants in RH3 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in RH3?

RH3 (Mole Valley) is supplied by Thames Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is RH3 water hard or soft?

Water in RH3 (Mole Valley) has a hardness of 154 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in RH3?

RH3 water scored 9.4/10 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 RH3 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for RH3, 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 RH3?

The Environment Agency rated the Mole - Horley to Dorking as bad for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is severely damaged, with most of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by insects and other small river life, phosphate and 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 RH3, 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 RH3

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
Turbidity4.7 NTU4 NTU
pH7.78 pHNone
Temperature18.9 °CNone
Conductivity876 µS/cmNone
Nitrate13 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.029 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate4.4 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.52 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.059 mg/L0.5 mg/L
PFAS (total)0.00528 µg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for RH3.

Source: Thames 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