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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in S36, BarnsleySafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 1,213 samples, 25 substances, latest on 29 September 2026. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.7 / 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 S36 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.

Colour came closest to a limit, at 15% of it. 20 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%Boron: 0.0079 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<1%Antimony: 0.00004 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony<1%Copper: 0.0161 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Lead: 0.00009 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Arsenic: 0.00009 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<1%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%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%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%Iron: 0.00826 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron4%Nickel: 0.00097 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Aluminium: 0.0111 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nitrate: 3.73 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Trihalomethanes: 0.0149 mg/L, 15% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes15%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%
  1. Colour15%
  2. Trihalomethanes15%
  3. Nitrate7%
  4. Aluminium6%
  5. Nickel5%
  6. Iron4%
  7. Mercury4%
  8. Fluoride3%
  9. Turbidity3%
  10. Manganese2%
  11. Bromate2%
  12. Nitrite2%
  13. Selenium1%
  14. Lead<1%
  15. Arsenic<1%
  16. Copper<1%
  17. Antimony<1%
  18. Boron<1%
  19. Cadmium<1%
  20. Chromium<1%
  • E. coli none found
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • Conductivity 195 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 0 mg/L
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Conductivity195 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.11 NTU4 NTU
3%
Aluminium0.0111 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.00826 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
Manganese0.00101 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Phosphate0 mg/LNo legal limit–
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Boron0.0079 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.0161 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Trihalomethanes0.0149 mg/L0.1 mg/L
15%
Lead0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Arsenic0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00004 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.05 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Nitrate3.73 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Bromate0.0002 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.00097 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Hardness (as CaCO3)51.2 mg/LNo legal limit–

60mg 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 Don from Scout Dyke to the Little Don, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Don from Scout Dyke to the Little Don as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, water plants and algae and phosphate. 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

27

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was PFOS (total) at 0.01 µg/L, at SSN0261 Clough Dike Trib of Dakin Brook, 5.6 km away, in December 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

S36 in short

Tap water in S36 (Barnsley) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the Barnsley Central zone and scores 9.7 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 29 September 2026.

  • The cleanest tap water of the 8 areas tested in BarnsleyS36 scores 9.7 out of 10, ahead of S70 in second place on 9.6.
  • Scores higher than all 7 neighbouring districtsThe nearest rival is S70 on 9.6, against 9.7 here. Compare with S70
  • 0.7 points above the national average of 9Cleaner than the typical tested district in the UK. Compare every area

Next door

S729.1 out of 10 · 291 mg/LS719.4 out of 10 · 217 mg/LS709.6 out of 10 · 66 mg/LS739.0 out of 10 · 282 mg/LS749.4 out of 10 · 208 mg/LS639.4 out of 10 · 235 mg/LS759.6 out of 10 · 124 mg/L

Questions about S36 water

Is S36 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, S36 (Barnsley) water scores 9.7/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in S36 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in S36 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 S36?

S36 (Barnsley) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is S36 water hard or soft?

Water in S36 (Barnsley) has a hardness of 60 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in S36?

S36 water scored 9.7/10 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 S36 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for S36 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 27 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of S36, the highest being PFOS (total) at 0.01 µg/L about 5.6 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 S36?

The Environment Agency rated the Don from Scout Dyke to the Little Don as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life, water plants and algae and phosphate. 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 S36, 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 S36

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
pH6.41 pHNone
Temperature11.2 °CNone
Conductivity63 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.42 mg/L50 mg/L
Dissolved Oxygen11.2 mg/LNone
Lead0.0006 mg/L0.01 mg/L
Cadmium0.000069 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Nickel0.0045 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)25 mg/LNone
Zinc0.01 mg/LNone
Chromium0.00057 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Copper0.00006 mg/L2 mg/L
Ammonia0.073 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrite0.0375 mg/L0.5 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for S36.

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