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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in SY16, PowysSafe to drink.Soft.

Supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. 490 samples, 22 substances, latest on 19 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.1 / 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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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of SY16 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 68% of it. 18 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCadmium: 0.00001 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Selenium: 0.00019 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Nitrite: 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: 0.000059 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony1%Arsenic: 0.00014 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Manganese: 0.00073 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Mercury: 0.000022 mg/L, 2% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury2%Copper: 0.0447 mg/L, 2% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper2%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Boron: 0.03 mg/L, 3% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron3%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%Trihalomethanes: 0.0049 mg/L, 5% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes5%Fluoride: 0.12 mg/L, 8% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride8%Aluminium: 0.021 mg/L, 11% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium11%Nickel: 0.0031 mg/L, 16% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel16%Lead: 0.00188 mg/L, 19% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead19%Nitrate: 34.2 mg/L, 68% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate68%
  1. Nitrate68%
  2. Lead19%
  3. Nickel16%
  4. Aluminium11%
  5. Fluoride8%
  6. Trihalomethanes5%
  7. Colour4%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Turbidity3%
  10. Boron3%
  11. Copper2%
  12. Mercury2%
  13. Manganese1%
  14. Arsenic1%
  15. Antimony1%
  16. Chromium<1%
  17. Nitrite<1%
  18. Selenium<1%
  19. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.62 pH
  • Conductivity 496 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 0.71 mg/L
All 22 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Colour0.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
pH7.62 pHNo legal limit–
Nitrate34.2 mg/L50 mg/L
68%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.021 mg/L0.2 mg/L
11%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00073 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Copper0.0447 mg/L2 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.12 mg/L1.5 mg/L
8%
Arsenic0.00014 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Cadmium0.00001 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00042 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Mercury0.000022 mg/L0.001 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.0031 mg/L0.02 mg/L
16%
Lead0.00188 mg/L0.01 mg/L
19%
Antimony0.000059 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Selenium0.00019 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%
Conductivity496 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Boron0.03 mg/L1 mg/L
3%
Trihalomethanes0.0049 mg/L0.1 mg/L
5%
Phosphate0.71 mg/LNo legal limit–

16mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the SY area. SY16 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

SY16 in short

Tap water in SY16 (Powys) is supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water in the Powys Central zone and scores 9.1 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 19 December 2025.

  • The lowest score of the 17 areas tested in PowysSY16 scores 9.1 out of 10. The best in Powys, LD3, scores 9.7.
  • Every one of the 10 neighbouring districts scores higherLD3 next door scores 9.7, against 9.1 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See LD3
  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 68% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading

Next door

SY179.5 out of 10 · 16 mg/LSY209.6 out of 10 · 16 mg/LSY159.3 out of 10 · 16 mg/LSY189.3 out of 10 · 16 mg/LSY219.5 out of 10 · 16 mg/LLD29.4 out of 10LD39.7 out of 10LD49.4 out of 10LD59.4 out of 10LD69.4 out of 10

Questions about SY16 water

Is SY16 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, SY16 (Powys) water scores 9.1/10, which is safe. 0 of 22 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.

What contaminants are in SY16 water?

We tested 22 contaminants in SY16 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in SY16?

SY16 (Powys) is supplied by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is SY16 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for SY16 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 SY16?

SY16 water scored 9.1/10 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 SY16 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for SY16, 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.

Keep reading

How to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near SY16

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
pH7.59 pHNone
Conductivity110 µS/cmNone
Temperature3.9 °CNone
Nitrate1.1 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.5 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen12.7 mg/LNone

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Source: Dŵr Cymru Welsh 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