Tap water in SY15, PowysSafe to drink.Soft.
Supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. 628 samples, 22 substances, latest on 5 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.
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

ZeroWater 12-Cup Ready-Pour
£40typical price
Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

Waterdrop 10UA Under Sink
£70typical price
High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

BRITA Marella XL + MAXTRA PRO
£25typical price
Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget
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What's in a glass of SY15 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 47% of it. 18 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.
- Nitrate47%
- Aluminium11%
- Trihalomethanes10%
- Lead10%
- Fluoride10%
- Nickel5%
- Colour4%
- Iron3%
- Turbidity3%
- Boron3%
- Nitrite3%
- Mercury2%
- Antimony2%
- Copper2%
- Manganese1%
- Arsenic1%
- Chromium<1%
- Selenium<1%
- Cadmium<1%
- Conductivity 418 µS/cm
- pH 7.89 pH
- Phosphate 0.033 mg/L
All 22 results as a table
| Substance | Result | Legal limit | Share of limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour | 0.8 mg/L Pt/Co | 20 mg/L Pt/Co | 4% |
| Turbidity | 0.12 NTU | 4 NTU | 3% |
| Arsenic | 0.00014 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 1% |
| Cadmium | 0.00001 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | <1% |
| Chromium | 0.00042 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | <1% |
| Nickel | 0.001 mg/L | 0.02 mg/L | 5% |
| Conductivity | 418 µS/cm | No legal limit | – |
| Lead | 0.00102 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 10% |
| Antimony | 0.000105 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | 2% |
| pH | 7.89 pH | No legal limit | – |
| Selenium | 0.00015 mg/L | 0.04 mg/L | <1% |
| Nitrate | 23.5 mg/L | 50 mg/L | 47% |
| Nitrite | 0.013 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L | 3% |
| Aluminium | 0.021 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L | 11% |
| Iron | 0.007 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L | 3% |
| Manganese | 0.00073 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | 1% |
| Copper | 0.0381 mg/L | 2 mg/L | 2% |
| Fluoride | 0.15 mg/L | 1.5 mg/L | 10% |
| Trihalomethanes | 0.0103 mg/L | 0.1 mg/L | 10% |
| Mercury | 0.000022 mg/L | 0.001 mg/L | 2% |
| Boron | 0.03 mg/L | 1 mg/L | 3% |
| Phosphate | 0.033 mg/L | No legal limit | – |
16mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the SY area. SY15 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.
Your river is the Tributary - source to conf R Camlad, rated poor
The Environment Agency rated the Tributary - source to conf R Camlad as poor for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is badly affected, with much of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by water plants and algae, phosphate and insects and other small river life. 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
SY15 in short
Tap water in SY15 (Powys) is supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water in the Powys Central zone and scores 9.3 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 22 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 5 December 2025.
- Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 47% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
- 13th cleanest of 17 areas tested in Powys4 areas in Powys scored lower. The best is LD3 on 9.7.
- Soft water at 16 mg/LLimescale is not a problem across the SY postcode area, so skip softeners and scale filters entirely. How hardness is measured
Questions about SY15 water
Is SY15 tap water safe to drink?
Based on the latest tests, SY15 (Powys) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 22 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.
What contaminants are in SY15 water?
We tested 22 contaminants in SY15 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.
Who supplies water in SY15?
SY15 (Powys) is supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.
Is SY15 water hard or soft?
No hardness reading has been published for SY15 itself. Across the SY postcode area the typical value is 16 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as soft. Soft water is gentle on appliances and skin.
Should I use a water filter in SY15?
SY15 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 SY15 water?
No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for SY15, 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 SY15?
The Environment Agency rated the Tributary - source to conf R Camlad as poor for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is badly affected, with much of the expected wildlife missing. It is held back by water plants and algae, phosphate and insects and other small river life. 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 SY15, which is treated before it reaches homes.
Keep reading
- Is UK Tap Water Safe?Everything you need to know about tap water safety in the UK
- Best Water Filters UKEvery filter type compared on what it actually removes
- How to Test Your Tap WaterFrom DIY strips to professional lab analysis
- Best Water Filter Jug UKBRITA vs ZeroWater vs the rest, tested against real data
How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map
River and groundwater readings near SY15
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.
Get alerts for your area
We'll email you when water quality data changes for SY15.