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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in S81, BassetlawSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by Severn Trent. 950 samples, 20 substances, latest on 18 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

8.7 / 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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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 S81 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.

Fluoride came closest to a limit, at 66% of it. 15 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitNitrite: 0.003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Chromium: 0.00042 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Antimony: 0.000064 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony1%Manganese: 0.00073 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Selenium: 0.00069 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Lead: 0.00023 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead2%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Colour: 0.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 4% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour4%Copper: 0.114 mg/L, 6% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper6%Trihalomethanes: 0.0073 mg/L, 7% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes7%Nickel: 0.0015 mg/L, 8% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel8%Cadmium: 0.0005 mg/L, 10% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium10%Aluminium: 0.021 mg/L, 11% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium11%Arsenic: 0.00183 mg/L, 18% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic18%Nitrate: 30.2 mg/L, 60% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate60%Fluoride: 0.99 mg/L, 66% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride66%
  1. Fluoride66%
  2. Nitrate60%
  3. Arsenic18%
  4. Aluminium11%
  5. Cadmium10%
  6. Nickel8%
  7. Trihalomethanes7%
  8. Copper6%
  9. Colour4%
  10. Iron3%
  11. Turbidity3%
  12. Lead2%
  13. Selenium2%
  14. Manganese1%
  15. Antimony1%
  16. Chromium<1%
  17. Nitrite<1%
  • pH 7.6 pH
  • Conductivity 582 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 0.679 mg/L
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
pH7.6 pHNo legal limit–
Nitrate30.2 mg/L50 mg/L
60%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Colour0.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
Conductivity582 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Trihalomethanes0.0073 mg/L0.1 mg/L
7%
Aluminium0.021 mg/L0.2 mg/L
11%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00073 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Copper0.114 mg/L2 mg/L
6%
Fluoride0.99 mg/L1.5 mg/L
66%
Arsenic0.00183 mg/L0.01 mg/L
18%
Cadmium0.0005 mg/L0.005 mg/L
10%
Chromium0.00042 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.0015 mg/L0.02 mg/L
8%
Lead0.00023 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.000064 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00069 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Phosphate0.679 mg/LNo legal limit–

88mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the S area. S81 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 river is the Owlands Wood Dyke from Source to Hodscok Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Owlands Wood Dyke from Source to Hodscok 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 phosphate, water plants and algae 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

S81 in short

Tap water in S81 (Bassetlaw) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Bassetlaw Central zone and scores 8.7 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 20 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 18 December 2025.

  • The lowest score of the 4 areas tested in BassetlawS81 scores 8.7 out of 10. The best in Bassetlaw, DN10, scores 8.8.
  • Fluoride is the reading closest to its limit, at 66% of the 1.5 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • Moderately soft water at 88 mg/LLittle limescale to speak of across the S postcode area. A softener would be money wasted. How hardness is measured

Next door

DN108.8 out of 10 · 293 mg/LDN228.7 out of 10 · 293 mg/LS808.8 out of 10 · 88 mg/L

Questions about S81 water

Is S81 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, S81 (Bassetlaw) water scores 8.7/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.

What contaminants are in S81 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in S81 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in S81?

S81 (Bassetlaw) is supplied by Severn Trent. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is S81 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for S81 itself. Across the S postcode area the typical value is 88 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in S81?

S81 water scored 8.7/10 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 S81 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for S81, 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 S81?

The Environment Agency rated the Owlands Wood Dyke from Source to Hodscok 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 phosphate, water plants and algae 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 S81, 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 S81

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
pH8.27 pHNone
Temperature12 °CNone
Conductivity869 µS/cmNone
Nitrate11 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.031 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.048 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.85 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.071 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Copper0.00199 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0355 mg/LNone
Cadmium0.000103 mg/L0.005 mg/L
Nickel0.00214 mg/L0.02 mg/L

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for S81.

Source: Severn Trent 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