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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in TN39, RotherSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Southern Water. 57 samples, 19 substances, latest on 16 August 2023. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

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

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Households concerned about PFAS and heavy metals

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High-volume under-sink filtration without RO complexity

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Basic chlorine and taste improvement on a budget

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What's in a glass of TN39 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 51% of it. 14 of 15 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitChromium: 0.00018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Copper: 0.0095 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Nitrite: 0.003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Cadmium: 0.00003 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Lead: 0.00006 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Selenium: 0.00032 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Bromate: 0.00015 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate1%Arsenic: 0.00024 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic2%Iron: 0.00523 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Antimony: 0.00014 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Manganese: 0.00188 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Nickel: 0.001 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Nitrate: 3.58 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Aluminium: 0.0373 mg/L, 19% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium19%Trihalomethanes: 0.0513 mg/L, 51% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes51%
  1. Trihalomethanes51%
  2. Aluminium19%
  3. Nitrate7%
  4. Nickel5%
  5. Manganese4%
  6. Antimony3%
  7. Iron3%
  8. Arsenic2%
  9. Bromate1%
  10. Selenium<1%
  11. Nitrite<1%
  12. Cadmium<1%
  13. Lead<1%
  14. Copper<1%
  15. Chromium<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • pH 7.53 pH
  • Conductivity 269 µS/cm
All 19 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Trihalomethanes0.0513 mg/L0.1 mg/L
51%
Bromate0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Nitrate3.58 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.0373 mg/L0.2 mg/L
19%
Iron0.00523 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00188 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Copper0.0095 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Arsenic0.00024 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Cadmium0.00003 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00018 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.001 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00006 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00014 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00032 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%
pH7.53 pHNo legal limit–
Conductivity269 µS/cmNo legal limit–

150mg of limescale minerals in every litre, typical for the TN area. TN39 has no reading of its own.

Middling hardness. Some scale, slowly

Below the point where a softener pays for itself. Descaling the kettle now and then is all most homes need.

Soft400 mg/L
Outside your tap

Your river is the East Stream, rated poor

The Environment Agency rated the East Stream 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, dissolved oxygen 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

TN39 in short

Tap water in TN39 (Rother) is supplied by Southern Water in the Rother Central zone and scores 9.5 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 19 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 16 August 2023.

  • The newest sample here is from August 2023That is over 3 years old, so treat this page as a record of past results rather than today's tap water.
  • Trihalomethanes is the reading closest to its limit, at 51% of the 0.1 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 5th cleanest of 8 areas tested in RotherSquarely mid-table for Rother, between TN40 on 9.7 and TN5 on 8.3.

Next door

TN369.3 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTN329.6 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTN199.6 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTN319.3 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTN339.5 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTN409.7 out of 10 · 150 mg/LTN58.3 out of 10 · 150 mg/L

Questions about TN39 water

Is TN39 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, TN39 (Rother) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 19 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Southern Water.

What contaminants are in TN39 water?

We tested 19 contaminants in TN39 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels.

Who supplies water in TN39?

TN39 (Rother) is supplied by Southern Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is TN39 water hard or soft?

No hardness reading has been published for TN39 itself. Across the TN postcode area the typical value is 150 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in TN39?

TN39 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 TN39 water?

No PFAS (forever chemicals) result is attached to the tap-water tests for TN39, 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 TN39?

The Environment Agency rated the East Stream 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, dissolved oxygen 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 TN39, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near TN39

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
Iron0.63 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH7.85 pHNone
Temperature17.7 °CNone
Conductivity483 µS/cmNone
Nitrate0.61 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.044 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.47 mg/LNone
Ammonia0.032 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrite0.0043 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Manganese0.017 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Copper0.00007 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0018 mg/LNone
Aluminium0.04 mg/L0.2 mg/L
PFAS (total)0.0017 µg/LNone

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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