Skip to main content
tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in SO45, New ForestSafe to drink.Very hard.

Supplied by Southern Water. 17,020 samples, 25 substances, latest on 30 April 2026. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

Get softener quotes for SO45See everything that was tested

9.3 / 10

The tank is as full as the score. The specks are the minerals that make water hard.

What to do about it

Hard water: compare softener quotes

At 276 mg/L a softener is the only thing that stops limescale. Filters do not soften water.

It pays for itself in most homes at this hardness, through a boiler that stays efficient and appliances that last.

Get softener quotes for SO45
ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour

£40typical price

Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Check price at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink

£70typical price

High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

Check price at Waterdrop (opens in new tab)

We earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we put first. How we make money

What's in a glass of SO45 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.

Nitrate came closest to a limit, at 73% of it. 20 of 21 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%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: 0.009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Copper: 0.0494 mg/L, 2% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper2%Boron: 0.0319 mg/L, 3% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron3%Turbidity: 0.13 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Manganese: 0.00178 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Antimony: 0.000181 mg/L, 4% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony4%Bromate: 0.0004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Ammonia: 0.025 mg/L, 5% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia5%Fluoride: 0.08 mg/L, 5% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride5%Aluminium: 0.0113 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nickel: 0.00157 mg/L, 8% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel8%Trihalomethanes: 0.0111 mg/L, 11% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes11%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Iron: 0.0301 mg/L, 15% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron15%Nitrate: 36.5 mg/L, 73% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate73%
  1. Nitrate73%
  2. Iron15%
  3. Colour15%
  4. Trihalomethanes11%
  5. Nickel8%
  6. Aluminium6%
  7. Fluoride5%
  8. Ammonia5%
  9. Bromate4%
  10. Mercury4%
  11. Antimony4%
  12. Manganese4%
  13. Turbidity3%
  14. Boron3%
  15. Copper2%
  16. Nitrite2%
  17. Selenium1%
  18. Lead<1%
  19. Arsenic<1%
  20. Cadmium<1%
  21. Chromium<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 537 µS/cm
  • pH 7.9 pH
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.0113 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Iron0.0301 mg/L0.2 mg/L
15%
Manganese0.00178 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Turbidity0.13 NTU4 NTU
3%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Trihalomethanes0.0111 mg/L0.1 mg/L
11%
Nitrate36.5 mg/L50 mg/L
73%
Lead0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Conductivity537 µS/cmNo legal limit–
pH7.9 pHNo legal limit–
Nitrite0.009 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.025 mg/L0.5 mg/L
5%
Copper0.0494 mg/L2 mg/L
2%
Arsenic0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00157 mg/L0.02 mg/L
8%
Antimony0.000181 mg/L0.005 mg/L
4%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Bromate0.0004 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Fluoride0.08 mg/L1.5 mg/L
5%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Boron0.0319 mg/L1 mg/L
3%

276mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the SO area. SO45 has no reading of its own.

This is the water that furs up kettles

Very hard on the UK scale. It is fine to drink. It is hard on boilers, showers, skin and anything that heats water, and a jug or tap filter will not change that.

Soft400 mg/L

Softener quotes for SO45

Leave your details and we will email you when we can match you with installers who cover SO45. No obligation.

Request a free assessment and we'll come back to you with local installer options for your area.

SO45— auto-detected from your search

100%

free, no obligation

shared only with your consent

Outside your tap

Your river is the Dark Water, rated good

The Environment Agency rated the Dark Water as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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 improved since the previous assessment.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

Within 10 km

68

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 4 sites. The highest was PFPeA at 0.012 µg/L, at Hatchet Stream at St Leonards, 7.3 km away, in February 2026. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

SO45 in short

Tap water in SO45 (New Forest) is supplied by Southern Water in the New Forest Central zone and scores 9.3 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 30 April 2026.

  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 73% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • Very hard water at 276 mg/LThe threshold for very hard is 250 mg/L. Expect visible limescale on taps and in kettles across the SO postcode area. How hardness is measured
  • 2nd cleanest of 8 areas tested in New ForestOnly 1 area in New Forest scored higher. The best is SP6 on 9.8.

Next door

BH249.1 out of 10 · 295 mg/LBH258.9 out of 10 · 295 mg/LSO409.1 out of 10 · 276 mg/LSO429.2 out of 10 · 276 mg/LSP69.8 out of 10 · 330 mg/LSO419.2 out of 10 · 276 mg/LSO439.0 out of 10 · 276 mg/L

Questions about SO45 water

Is SO45 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, SO45 (New Forest) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Southern Water.

What contaminants are in SO45 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in SO45 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 SO45?

SO45 (New Forest) is supplied by Southern Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is SO45 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for SO45 itself. Across the SO postcode area the typical value is 276 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as very hard. Hard water can cause limescale buildup. A water softener or filter jug may help.

Should I use a water filter in SO45?

SO45 water scored 9.3/10 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 SO45 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for SO45 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 68 river and groundwater samples from 4 sites within 10 km of SO45, the highest being PFPeA at 0.012 µg/L about 7.3 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 SO45?

The Environment Agency rated the Dark Water as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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 improved since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in SO45, 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 SO45

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
Temperature15.8 °CNone
Nitrate0.99 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.039 mg/LNone
pH7.62 pHNone
Conductivity331 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.0038 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Dissolved Oxygen7.91 mg/LNone
Nitrite0.022 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Zinc0.0096 mg/LNone
Copper0.0061 mg/L2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for SO45.

Source: Southern 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