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England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in SO53, Eastleigh3 results are over the limit.Very hard.

Supplied by Southern Water. 23,653 samples, 25 substances, latest on 29 April 2026. Iron, Turbidity and Manganese came in above the legal limit. Everything else passed.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

8.3 / 10

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

What to do about it

Osmio PRO-III Ultimate Whole House

£499typical price

Removes turbidity and nitrate, the results that stood out in SO53.

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Stop the limescale

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

Get softener quotes for SO53
Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis

Waterdrop G3P600 Reverse Osmosis

£550typical price

Removes nitrate, the result that stood out in SO53.

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What's in a glass of SO53 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.

Iron is over its legal limit, at 1975% of it.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitNitrite: 0.004 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Copper: 0.0191 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.001 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Selenium: 0.0008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Cadmium: 0.00012 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Antimony: 0.0002 mg/L, 4% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony4%Boron: 0.04 mg/L, 4% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron4%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Fluoride: 0.08 mg/L, 5% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride5%Bromate: 0.00057 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate6%Aluminium: 0.0154 mg/L, 8% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium8%Ammonia: 0.039 mg/L, 8% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia8%Nickel: 0.00179 mg/L, 9% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel9%Arsenic: 0.001 mg/L, 10% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic10%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Lead: 0.00232 mg/L, 23% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead23%Trihalomethanes: 0.0396 mg/L, 40% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes40%Nitrate: 38 mg/L, 76% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate76%Iron: 3.95 mg/L, 1975% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron1975%Turbidity: 5.54 NTU, 139% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity139%Manganese: 0.0626 mg/L, 125% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese125%
  1. Iron1975%
  2. Turbidity139%
  3. Manganese125%
  4. Nitrate76%
  5. Trihalomethanes40%
  6. Lead23%
  7. Colour15%
  8. Arsenic10%
  9. Nickel9%
  10. Ammonia8%
  11. Aluminium8%
  12. Bromate6%
  13. Fluoride5%
  14. Antimony4%
  15. Boron4%
  16. Mercury4%
  17. Cadmium2%
  18. Chromium2%
  19. Selenium2%
  20. Copper<1%
  21. Nitrite<1%
  • pH 7.7 pH
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 571 µS/cm
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Iron3.95 mg/L0.2 mg/L
1975%
Turbidity5.54 NTU4 NTU
139%
Nitrate38 mg/L50 mg/L
76%
Manganese0.0626 mg/L0.05 mg/L
125%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
pH7.7 pHNo legal limit–
Ammonia0.039 mg/L0.5 mg/L
8%
Aluminium0.0154 mg/L0.2 mg/L
8%
Copper0.0191 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.00232 mg/L0.01 mg/L
23%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Conductivity571 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Nitrite0.004 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.001 mg/L0.01 mg/L
10%
Cadmium0.00012 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.001 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.00179 mg/L0.02 mg/L
9%
Antimony0.0002 mg/L0.005 mg/L
4%
Selenium0.0008 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0396 mg/L0.1 mg/L
40%
Bromate0.00057 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Boron0.04 mg/L1 mg/L
4%
Fluoride0.08 mg/L1.5 mg/L
5%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%

276mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the SO area. SO53 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

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Outside your tap

Your river is the Monks Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Monks 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 fish, organic pollution (bod) and dissolved oxygen. 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

254

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 7 sites. The highest was PFOS at 0.011 µg/L, at Tadburn Lake at Romsey By-Pass, 8.0 km away, in March 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

SO53 in short

Tap water in SO53 (Eastleigh) is supplied by Southern Water in the Eastleigh Central zone and scores 8.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. 4 of 25 tested substances were close to or over a limit. The latest sample is from 29 April 2026.

  • Iron was measured at 3.95 mg/L, 20 times the UK limitIt is the furthest over its limit of the 4 substances flagged here. See the full results
  • The lowest score of the 3 areas tested in SouthamptonSO53 scores 8.3 out of 10. The best in Southampton, SO30, scores 9.3. Every area in Southampton
  • Every one of the 3 neighbouring districts scores higherSO30 next door scores 9.3, against 8.3 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See SO30

Next door

SO508.4 out of 10 · 276 mg/LSO309.3 out of 10 · 276 mg/LSO169.3 out of 10 · 276 mg/L

Questions about SO53 water

Is SO53 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, SO53 (Eastleigh) water scores 8.3/10, which is safe. 4 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Southern Water.

What contaminants are in SO53 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in SO53 water. 4 were flagged, including Iron, Turbidity, Nitrate. 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 SO53?

SO53 (Eastleigh) is supplied by Southern Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is SO53 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for SO53 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 SO53?

With 4 contaminants above recommended levels in SO53, a water filter could help. A reverse osmosis or activated carbon filter is recommended for PFAS removal. See our filter recommendations for your area.

Are there PFAS forever chemicals in SO53 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for SO53 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 254 river and groundwater samples from 7 sites within 10 km of SO53, the highest being PFOS at 0.011 µg/L about 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 SO53?

The Environment Agency rated the Monks 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 fish, organic pollution (bod) and dissolved oxygen. 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 SO53, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedNitrate levelsHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsAll of SouthamptonUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near SO53

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
Iron0.272 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH8.32 pHNone
Temperature15.1 °CNone
Conductivity604 µS/cmNone
Nitrate7.9 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0096 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.045 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.6 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.052 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Copper0.0013 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0083 mg/LNone

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We'll email you when water quality data changes for SO53.

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