Tap water in SY3, ShropshireSafe to drink.Soft.
Supplied by Severn Trent. 1,147 samples, 20 substances, latest on 23 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.
9.5 / 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 SY3 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 21% of it. 17 of 17 substances used under a quarter of theirs.
- Trihalomethanes21%
- Nitrate16%
- Aluminium11%
- Nickel5%
- Colour4%
- Fluoride4%
- Arsenic4%
- Iron3%
- Turbidity3%
- Nitrite3%
- Copper2%
- Manganese1%
- Lead1%
- Antimony1%
- Chromium<1%
- Selenium<1%
- Cadmium<1%
- Conductivity 535 µS/cm
- pH 7.77 pH
- Phosphate 0.063 mg/L
All 20 results as a table
| Substance | Result | Legal limit | Share of limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conductivity | 535 µS/cm | No legal limit | – |
| 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% |
| Colour | 0.8 mg/L Pt/Co | 20 mg/L Pt/Co | 4% |
| Turbidity | 0.12 NTU | 4 NTU | 3% |
| pH | 7.77 pH | No legal limit | – |
| Nickel | 0.001 mg/L | 0.02 mg/L | 5% |
| Lead | 0.00014 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 1% |
| Antimony | 0.000059 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | 1% |
| Selenium | 0.00009 mg/L | 0.04 mg/L | <1% |
| Nitrate | 8.1 mg/L | 50 mg/L | 16% |
| Nitrite | 0.013 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L | 3% |
| Copper | 0.0482 mg/L | 2 mg/L | 2% |
| Fluoride | 0.06 mg/L | 1.5 mg/L | 4% |
| Arsenic | 0.00037 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L | 4% |
| Cadmium | 0.00001 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L | <1% |
| Chromium | 0.00042 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L | <1% |
| Trihalomethanes | 0.0208 mg/L | 0.1 mg/L | 21% |
| Phosphate | 0.063 mg/L | No legal limit | – |
16mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the SY area. SY3 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 Severn - conf Bele Bk to conf Sundorne Bk, rated moderate
The Environment Agency rated the Severn - conf Bele Bk to conf Sundorne Bk as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae and phosphate. 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
SY3 in short
Tap water in SY3 (Shropshire) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Shropshire Central zone and scores 9.5 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 20 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 23 December 2025.
- 3rd cleanest of 21 areas tested in ShropshireOnly 2 areas in Shropshire scored higher. The best is SY12 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
- Nothing tested came within 40% of its legal limitThe highest was Trihalomethanes at 21% of the 0.1 mg/L maximum. See every reading
Questions about SY3 water
Is SY3 tap water safe to drink?
Based on the latest tests, SY3 (Shropshire) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.
What contaminants are in SY3 water?
We tested 20 contaminants in SY3 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.
Who supplies water in SY3?
SY3 (Shropshire) is supplied by Severn Trent. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.
Is SY3 water hard or soft?
No hardness reading has been published for SY3 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 SY3?
SY3 water scored 9.5/10 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 SY3 water?
No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for SY3, 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 SY3?
The Environment Agency rated the Severn - conf Bele Bk to conf Sundorne Bk as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by water plants and algae and phosphate. 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 SY3, 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 SY3
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.
| Substance | Reading | Drinking water limit |
|---|---|---|
| Turbidity | 9.4 NTU | 4 NTU |
| Lead | 0.331 mg/L | 0.01 mg/L |
| pH | 8.09 pH | None |
| Temperature | 16.3 °C | None |
| Conductivity | 292 µS/cm | None |
| Nitrate | 1.9 mg/L | 50 mg/L |
| Phosphate | 0.055 mg/L | None |
| Dissolved Oxygen | 9.18 mg/L | None |
| Nitrite | 0.0067 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L |
| Ammonia | 0.043 mg/L | 0.5 mg/L |
| Copper | 0.0058 mg/L | 2 mg/L |
| Zinc | 0.0182 mg/L | None |
| Mercury | 0.000039 mg/L | 0.001 mg/L |
| Cadmium | 0.00013 mg/L | 0.005 mg/L |
| Hardness (as CaCO3) | 60.1 mg/L | None |
| Chromium | 0.0013 mg/L | 0.05 mg/L |
| Iron | 0.126 mg/L | 0.2 mg/L |
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