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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in WF3, WakefieldSafe to drink.Slightly hard.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 1,516 samples, 25 substances, latest on 18 September 2026. 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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What's in a glass of WF3 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 64% of it. 19 of 20 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.00268 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.00019 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Cadmium: 0.000031 mg/L, <1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium<1%Boron: 0.0084 mg/L, <1% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron<1%Lead: 0.00009 mg/L, <1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead<1%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Arsenic: 0.00015 mg/L, 1% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic1%Nitrite: 0.008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite2%Manganese: 0.00101 mg/L, 2% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese2%Nickel: 0.00053 mg/L, 3% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel3%Fluoride: 0.04 mg/L, 3% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride3%Turbidity: 0.11 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Antimony: 0.000151 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Iron: 0.00629 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Bromate: 0.0004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate4%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Nitrate: 3.73 mg/L, 7% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate7%Aluminium: 0.0202 mg/L, 10% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium10%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Trihalomethanes: 0.0638 mg/L, 64% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes64%
  1. Trihalomethanes64%
  2. Colour15%
  3. Aluminium10%
  4. Nitrate7%
  5. Bromate4%
  6. Mercury4%
  7. Iron3%
  8. Antimony3%
  9. Turbidity3%
  10. Fluoride3%
  11. Nickel3%
  12. Manganese2%
  13. Nitrite2%
  14. Arsenic1%
  15. Selenium1%
  16. Lead<1%
  17. Boron<1%
  18. Cadmium<1%
  19. Chromium<1%
  20. Copper<1%
  • Conductivity 196 µS/cm
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Phosphate 0.921 mg/L
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Aluminium0.0202 mg/L0.2 mg/L
10%
Iron0.00629 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00101 mg/L0.05 mg/L
2%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Conductivity196 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Turbidity0.11 NTU4 NTU
3%
Phosphate0.921 mg/LNo legal limit–
Hardness (as CaCO3)87.7 mg/LNo legal limit–
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Lead0.00009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.04 mg/L1.5 mg/L
3%
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Nitrate3.73 mg/L50 mg/L
7%
Arsenic0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.000151 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Nickel0.00053 mg/L0.02 mg/L
3%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.000031 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Copper0.00268 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Bromate0.0004 mg/L0.01 mg/L
4%
Boron0.0084 mg/L1 mg/L
<1%
Trihalomethanes0.0638 mg/L0.1 mg/L
64%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%

139mg of limescale minerals in every litre

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 Oulton Beck from Source to River Aire, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Oulton Beck from Source to River Aire as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life. 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

Within 10 km

111

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 7 sites. The highest was PFBS at 0.047 µg/L, at SSN1573 Ossett Dike Trib of Lupset Beck, 6.3 km away, in December 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

WF3 in short

Tap water in WF3 (Wakefield) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the Wakefield Central zone and scores 9.5 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 25 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 18 September 2026.

  • Trihalomethanes is the reading closest to its limit, at 64% of the 0.1 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 2nd cleanest of 11 areas tested in WakefieldOnly 1 area in Wakefield scored higher. The best is WF2 on 9.5.
  • PFAS found at 7 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFBS about 6.3 km away. What was measured

Next door

WF59.2 out of 10 · 137 mg/LWF109.0 out of 10 · 293 mg/LWF49.2 out of 10 · 119 mg/LWF19.4 out of 10 · 195 mg/LWF69.1 out of 10 · 211 mg/LWF78.3 out of 10 · 282 mg/LWF88.8 out of 10 · 272 mg/LWF99.1 out of 10 · 283 mg/LWF29.5 out of 10 · 118 mg/LWF119.1 out of 10 · 286 mg/L

Questions about WF3 water

Is WF3 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, WF3 (Wakefield) water scores 9.5/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in WF3 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in WF3 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 WF3?

WF3 (Wakefield) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is WF3 water hard or soft?

Water in WF3 (Wakefield) has a hardness of 139 mg/L CaCO3, which is classified as moderately hard. This is a moderate hardness level.

Should I use a water filter in WF3?

WF3 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 WF3 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for WF3 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 111 river and groundwater samples from 7 sites within 10 km of WF3, the highest being PFBS at 0.047 µg/L about 6.3 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 WF3?

The Environment Agency rated the Oulton Beck from Source to River Aire as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by insects and other small river life. 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 WF3, 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 WF3

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
Manganese0.256 mg/L0.05 mg/L
Iron0.535 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Ammonia0.139 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate8.26 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0692 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Hardness (as CaCO3)457 mg/LNone
Fluoride0.347 mg/L1.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.028 mg/LNone
Chromium0.00168 mg/L0.05 mg/L
pH7.86 pHNone
Zinc0.0164 mg/LNone
Nickel0.0054 mg/L0.02 mg/L
Aluminium0.0499 mg/L0.2 mg/L

Get alerts for your area

We'll email you when water quality data changes for WF3.

Source: Yorkshire 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