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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in TS28, County DurhamSafe to drink.Very hard.

Supplied by Northumbrian Water. 1,239 samples, 20 substances, latest on 23 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

Get softener quotes for TS28See everything that was tested

9.0 / 10

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

What to do about it

Hard water: compare softener quotes

At 480 mg/L a softener is the only thing that stops limescale. Filters do not soften water.

It pays for itself in most homes at this hardness, through a boiler that stays efficient and appliances that last.

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What's in a glass of TS28 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.

Fluoride came closest to a limit, at 66% of it. 16 of 18 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCadmium: 0.000018 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Copper: 0.011 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00028 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese<1%Arsenic: 0.00006 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic<1%Lead: 0.000065 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Nickel: 0.0002 mg/L, 1% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel1%Nitrite: 0.0061 mg/L, 1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite1%Chromium: 0.00091 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Selenium: 0.00091 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Iron: 0.0052 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Antimony: 0.00016 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Colour: 0.86 mg/L Pt/Co, 4% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour4%Boron: 0.049 mg/L, 5% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron5%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Bromate: 0.0005 mg/L, 5% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate5%Aluminium: 0.012 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Nitrate: 30 mg/L, 60% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate60%Fluoride: 0.99 mg/L, 66% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride66%
  1. Fluoride66%
  2. Nitrate60%
  3. Aluminium6%
  4. Turbidity5%
  5. Bromate5%
  6. Boron5%
  7. Colour4%
  8. Antimony3%
  9. Iron3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Chromium2%
  12. Nitrite1%
  13. Nickel1%
  14. Lead<1%
  15. Arsenic<1%
  16. Manganese<1%
  17. Copper<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.5 pH
  • Conductivity 940 µS/cm
All 20 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
pH7.5 pHNo legal limit–
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Bromate0.0005 mg/L0.01 mg/L
5%
Arsenic0.00006 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.012 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Nitrate30 mg/L50 mg/L
60%
Boron0.049 mg/L1 mg/L
5%
Copper0.011 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Selenium0.00091 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Fluoride0.99 mg/L1.5 mg/L
66%
Chromium0.00091 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Conductivity940 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Cadmium0.000018 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Lead0.000065 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Nitrite0.0061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.0002 mg/L0.02 mg/L
1%
Manganese0.00028 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Antimony0.00016 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Colour0.86 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
Iron0.0052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%

480mg of limescale minerals in every litre

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 Crimdon Beck from Source to Sea, rated good

The Environment Agency rated the Crimdon Beck from Source to Sea as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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. Its ecological rating has improved since the previous assessment.

None of this is a test of your tap water. Environment Agency record · River health across England

Within 10 km

1

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 1 site. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.001 µg/L, at Borehole 25-5-111 Hart Reservoir, 8.4 km away, in November 2023. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

TS28 in short

Tap water in TS28 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water in the County Durham Central zone and scores 9.0 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.

  • The lowest score of the 22 areas tested in County DurhamTS28 scores 9 out of 10. The best in County Durham, DH1, scores 9.7.
  • Among the hardest water in the country at 480 mg/LVery hard starts at 250 mg/L. At this level kettles scale up within weeks and a softener is a normal purchase in TS28. How hardness is measured
  • Every one of the 10 neighbouring districts scores higherDL5 next door scores 9.7, against 9 here. Supply zones, not distance, explain the gap. See DL5

Next door

DH89.3 out of 10 · 90 mg/LDH29.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDL59.7 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDL149.6 out of 10 · 115 mg/LDH69.7 out of 10 · 480 mg/LDL169.4 out of 10 · 70 mg/LDH39.4 out of 10 · 80 mg/LDL139.7 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDL159.4 out of 10 · 85 mg/LDH79.4 out of 10 · 85 mg/L

Questions about TS28 water

Is TS28 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, TS28 (County Durham) water scores 9/10, which is safe. 0 of 20 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Northumbrian Water.

What contaminants are in TS28 water?

We tested 20 contaminants in TS28 water. None exceeded recommended safe levels. 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 TS28?

TS28 (County Durham) is supplied by Northumbrian Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is TS28 water hard or soft?

Water in TS28 (County Durham) has a hardness of 480 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 TS28?

TS28 water scored 9/10 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 TS28 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for TS28 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 1 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of TS28, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.001 µg/L about 8.4 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 TS28?

The Environment Agency rated the Crimdon Beck from Source to Sea as good for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is only slightly changed from its natural state. 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. Its ecological rating has improved since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in TS28, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

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

River and groundwater readings near TS28

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
Manganese0.056 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.58 mg/L0.2 mg/L
pH8.24 pHNone
Temperature16.1 °CNone
Conductivity678 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.15 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate0.23 mg/L50 mg/L
Phosphate0.33 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen7.16 mg/LNone
Nitrite0.017 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)220 mg/LNone

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Source: Northumbrian 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