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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in WA16, Cheshire EastSafe to drink.Moderately soft.

Supplied by United Utilities. 1,285 samples, 16 substances, latest on 17 December 2024. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.4 / 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 WA16 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. 16 of 16 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.0000104 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Manganese: 0.00065 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Chromium: 0.00083 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium2%Iron: 0.0035 mg/L, 2% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron2%Cadmium: 0.00009 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Nitrite: 0.0098 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Selenium: 0.00085 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Bromate: 0.00034 mg/L, 3% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate3%Nickel: 0.00077 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Turbidity: 0.2 NTU, 5% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity5%Lead: 0.00055 mg/L, 6% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead6%Antimony: 0.00031 mg/L, 6% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony6%Aluminium: 0.0138 mg/L, 7% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium7%Ammonia: 0.054 mg/L, 11% of the 0.5 mg/L limitAmmonia11%Nitrate: 7.09 mg/L, 14% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate14%Trihalomethanes: 0.0206 mg/L, 21% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes21%
  1. Trihalomethanes21%
  2. Nitrate14%
  3. Ammonia11%
  4. Aluminium7%
  5. Antimony6%
  6. Lead6%
  7. Turbidity5%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Bromate3%
  10. Selenium2%
  11. Nitrite2%
  12. Cadmium2%
  13. Iron2%
  14. Chromium2%
  15. Manganese1%
  16. Copper<1%
All 16 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Turbidity0.2 NTU4 NTU
5%
Aluminium0.0138 mg/L0.2 mg/L
7%
Iron0.0035 mg/L0.2 mg/L
2%
Manganese0.00065 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Cadmium0.00009 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.00083 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.00031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
6%
Selenium0.00085 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Trihalomethanes0.0206 mg/L0.1 mg/L
21%
Copper0.0000104 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Nickel0.00077 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Lead0.00055 mg/L0.01 mg/L
6%
Bromate0.00034 mg/L0.01 mg/L
3%
Nitrate7.09 mg/L50 mg/L
14%
Nitrite0.0098 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Ammonia0.054 mg/L0.5 mg/L
11%

77mg of limescale minerals in every litre

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
Outside your tap

Your river is the Birkin Brook - Source to Mobberley Brook, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Birkin Brook - Source to Mobberley Brook as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by phosphate, fish and water plants and algae. 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

200

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 3 sites. The highest was 6:2 FTSA at 0.015 µg/L, at Rostherne Mere - Bankside Sample @ SJ7423983875 Between Boathouse & Pond, 5.5 km away, in November 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

WA16 in short

Tap water in WA16 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities in the Cheshire East Central zone and scores 9.4 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 16 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 17 December 2024.

  • 5th cleanest of 13 areas tested in Cheshire EastOnly 4 areas in Cheshire East scored higher. The best is CW10 on 9.4.
  • PFAS found at 3 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was 6:2 FTSA about 5.5 km away. What was 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

Next door

CW29.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW119.3 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW49.4 out of 10 · 17 mg/LCW38.9 out of 10 · 109 mg/LCW59.0 out of 10 · 73 mg/LCW109.4 out of 10 · 113 mg/LCW18.8 out of 10 · 65 mg/LSK119.3 out of 10 · 64 mg/LSK99.4 out of 10 · 138 mg/LSK129.3 out of 10 · 98 mg/L

Questions about WA16 water

Is WA16 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, WA16 (Cheshire East) water scores 9.4/10, which is safe. 0 of 16 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by United Utilities.

What contaminants are in WA16 water?

We tested 16 contaminants in WA16 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 WA16?

WA16 (Cheshire East) is supplied by United Utilities. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is WA16 water hard or soft?

Water in WA16 (Cheshire East) has a hardness of 77 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately soft. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in WA16?

WA16 water scored 9.4/10 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 WA16 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for WA16 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 200 river and groundwater samples from 3 sites within 10 km of WA16, the highest being 6:2 FTSA at 0.015 µg/L about 5.5 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 WA16?

The Environment Agency rated the Birkin Brook - Source to Mobberley Brook as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by phosphate, fish and water plants and algae. 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 WA16, 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 WA16

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
Ammonia1.3 mg/L0.5 mg/L
pH7.96 pHNone
Temperature12.9 °CNone
Conductivity868 µS/cmNone
Phosphate0.77 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen2.5 mg/LNone
Nitrate9.7 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.085 mg/L0.5 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for WA16.

Source: United Utilities 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