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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in S12, SheffieldSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 854 samples, 25 substances, latest on 24 September 2026. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.6 / 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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of S12 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.

Trihalomethanes came closest to a limit, at 29% of it. 19 of 20 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitChromium: 0.00019 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Cadmium: 0.000031 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Antimony: 0.000052 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony1%Boron: 0.0107 mg/L, 1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron1%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Arsenic: 0.00012 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Copper: 0.0248 mg/L, 1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper1%Lead: 0.00013 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead1%Nitrite: 0.008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Bromate: 0.0002 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate2%Manganese: 0.00101 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Turbidity: 0.11 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Iron: 0.00629 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Fluoride: 0.05 mg/L, 3% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride3%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Aluminium: 0.0119 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nitrate: 3.73 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Nickel: 0.00151 mg/L, 8% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel8%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0286 mg/L, 29% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes29%
  1. Trihalomethanes29%
  2. Colour15%
  3. Nickel8%
  4. Nitrate7%
  5. Aluminium6%
  6. Mercury4%
  7. Fluoride3%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Turbidity3%
  10. Manganese2%
  11. Bromate2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Lead1%
  14. Copper1%
  15. Arsenic1%
  16. Selenium1%
  17. Boron1%
  18. Antimony1%
  19. Cadmium<1%
  20. Chromium<1%
  • E. coli none found
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • Phosphate 1.15 mg/L
  • Conductivity 128 µS/cm
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Phosphate1.15 mg/LNo legal limit–
Aluminium0.0119 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.00629 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00101 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Turbidity0.11 NTU4 NTU
3%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Conductivity128 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0286 mg/L0.1 mg/L
29%
Copper0.0248 mg/L2 mg/L
1%
Fluoride0.05 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%
Arsenic0.00012 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.000052 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.00151 mg/L0.02 mg/L
8%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Boron0.0107 mg/L1 mg/L
1%
Lead0.00013 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Nitrate3.73 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Bromate0.0002 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Hardness (as CaCO3)54.4 mg/LNo legal limit–

21mg 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 Shire Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Shire Brook as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by ammonia, insects and other small river life and specific pollutants. 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 4 sites. The highest was PFOS (linear) at 0.012 µg/L, at Don at Halfpenny Bridge Templeborough, 7.8 km away, in December 2023. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

S12 in short

Tap water in S12 (Sheffield) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the Sheffield Central zone and scores 9.6 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 25 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 24 September 2026.

  • 5th cleanest of 17 areas tested in SheffieldOnly 4 areas in Sheffield scored higher. The best is S20 on 10. Every area in Sheffield
  • Soft water at 21 mg/LLimescale is not a problem in S12, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
  • 0.6 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area

Next door

S109.4 out of 10 · 30 mg/LS89.6 out of 10 · 32 mg/LS69.3 out of 10 · 70 mg/LS119.6 out of 10 · 35 mg/LS79.7 out of 10 · 41 mg/LS19.4 out of 10 · 70 mg/LS29.5 out of 10 · 30 mg/LS39.4 out of 10 · 56 mg/LS59.3 out of 10 · 63 mg/LS49.6 out of 10 · 31 mg/L

Questions about S12 water

Is S12 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, S12 (Sheffield) water scores 9.6/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in S12 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in S12 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 S12?

S12 (Sheffield) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is S12 water hard or soft?

Water in S12 (Sheffield) has a hardness of 21 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.

Should I use a water filter in S12?

S12 water scored 9.6/10 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 S12 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for S12 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 54 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of S12, the highest being PFOS (linear) at 0.012 µg/L about 7.8 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 S12?

The Environment Agency rated the Shire Brook as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by ammonia, insects and other small river life and specific pollutants. 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 S12, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near S12

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
pH8.11 pHNone
Temperature7.2 °CNone
Conductivity871 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.032 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate3 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0055 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.011 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen12.4 mg/LNone
Copper0.00193 mg/L2 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)349 mg/LNone
Zinc0.00595 mg/LNone

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for S12.

Source: Yorkshire 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