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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in SK9, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,557 samples, 16 substances, latest on 30 December 2024. 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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

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£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of SK9 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 32% of it. 15 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00045 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Nitrite: 0.0075 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Aluminium: 0.00622 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Turbidity: 0.16 NTU, 4% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity4%Nickel: 0.00089 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Bromate: 0.00057 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Ammonia: 0.0321 mg/L, 6% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia6%Nitrate: 4.12 mg/L, 8% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate8%Trihalomethanes: 0.0316 mg/L, 32% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes32%
  1. Trihalomethanes32%
  2. Nitrate8%
  3. Ammonia6%
  4. Antimony6%
  5. Bromate6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Nickel4%
  8. Turbidity4%
  9. Iron3%
  10. Aluminium3%
  11. Selenium2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Chromium2%
  14. Nitrite2%
  15. Manganese<1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.16 NTU4 NTU
4%
Bromate0.00057 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Nitrate4.12 mg/L50 mg/L
8%
Nitrite0.0075 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.0321 mg/L0.5 mg/L
6%
Aluminium0.00622 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00045 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00089 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0316 mg/L0.1 mg/L
32%

138mg 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 Bollin (Source to Dean), rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Bollin (Source to Dean) 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, fish and ammonia. 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

63

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 9 sites. The highest was PFOA at 0.011 µg/L, at SSN0858 Ryle`s Wood Stream Near Springbank Farm, 8.5 km away, in October 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

SK9 in short

Tap water in SK9 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire East Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 30 December 2024.

  • 4th cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire EastOnly 3 areas in Cheshire East scored higher. The best is CW10 on 9.4.
  • PFAS found at 9 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFOA about 8.5 km away. What was measured
  • Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 32% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading

Next door

CW29.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW119.3 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW49.4 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW38.9 out of 10 · 109 mg/LCW59.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW109.4 out of 10 · 113 mg/LCW18.8 out of 10 · 65 mg/LWA169.4 out of 10 · 77 mg/LSK109.4 out of 10 · 59 mg/LSK129.3 out of 10 · 98 mg/L

Questions about SK9 water

Is SK9 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, SK9 (Cheshire East) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in SK9 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in SK9 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 SK9?

SK9 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is SK9 water hard or soft?

Water in SK9 (Cheshire East) has a hardness of 138 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in SK9?

SK9 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 SK9 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for SK9 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 63 river and groundwater samples from 9 sites within 10 km of SK9, the highest being PFOA at 0.011 µg/L about 8.5 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 SK9?

The Environment Agency rated the Bollin (Source to Dean) 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, fish and ammonia. 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 SK9, 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 SK9

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
Ammonia0.76 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH7.61 pHNone
Temperature13.8 °CNone
Conductivity379 µS/cmNone
Nitrate2.9 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.11 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.16 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen9.77 mg/LNone
Copper0.00016 mg/L2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for SK9.

Source: United Utilities 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