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England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in WS12, Cannock ChaseSafe to drink.

Supplied by Severn Trent. 217 samples, 22 substances, latest on 19 December 2025. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

See the filter we recommendSee everything that was tested

9.0 / 10

The tank is as full as the score.

What to do about it

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What's in a glass of WS12 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.

Nitrate came closest to a limit, at 70% of it. 17 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitNitrite: 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%Copper: 0.0164 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Chromium: 0.00042 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Selenium: 0.00038 mg/L, <1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium<1%Manganese: 0.00073 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese1%Lead: 0.00019 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead2%Mercury: 0.000022 mg/L, 2% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury2%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Antimony: 0.000159 mg/L, 3% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony3%Boron: 0.033 mg/L, 3% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron3%Iron: 0.007 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron3%Colour: 0.8 mg/L Pt/Co, 4% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour4%Nickel: 0.001 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Fluoride: 0.08 mg/L, 5% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride5%Trihalomethanes: 0.0102 mg/L, 10% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes10%Aluminium: 0.021 mg/L, 11% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium11%Arsenic: 0.00359 mg/L, 36% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic36%Nitrate: 34.9 mg/L, 70% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate70%
  1. Nitrate70%
  2. Arsenic36%
  3. Aluminium11%
  4. Trihalomethanes10%
  5. Fluoride5%
  6. Nickel5%
  7. Colour4%
  8. Iron3%
  9. Boron3%
  10. Antimony3%
  11. Turbidity3%
  12. Mercury2%
  13. Lead2%
  14. Manganese1%
  15. Selenium<1%
  16. Chromium<1%
  17. Copper<1%
  18. Nitrite<1%
  19. Cadmium<1%
  • pH 7.66 pH
  • Conductivity 438 µS/cm
  • Phosphate 0.064 mg/L
All 22 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Boron0.033 mg/L1 mg/L
3%
Trihalomethanes0.0102 mg/L0.1 mg/L
10%
pH7.66 pHNo legal limit–
Nitrate34.9 mg/L50 mg/L
70%
Nitrite0.003 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.021 mg/L0.2 mg/L
11%
Colour0.8 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
4%
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
Iron0.007 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Manganese0.00073 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Copper0.0164 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.08 mg/L1.5 mg/L
5%
Arsenic0.00359 mg/L0.01 mg/L
36%
Cadmium0.00003 mg/L0.005 mg/L
<1%
Chromium0.00042 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Mercury0.000022 mg/L0.001 mg/L
2%
Nickel0.001 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.00019 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Antimony0.000159 mg/L0.005 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00038 mg/L0.04 mg/L
<1%
Conductivity438 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Phosphate0.064 mg/LNo legal limit–
Outside your tap

Your river is the Saredon Brook from Source to River Penk, rated moderate

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

1

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 1 site. The highest was PFecHS at 0.00058 µg/L, at Essington Fruit Farm Borehole, 9.5 km away, in May 2024. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

WS12 in short

Tap water in WS12 (Cannock Chase) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Cannock Chase Central zone and scores 9.0 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 22 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 19 December 2025.

  • Nitrate is the reading closest to its limit, at 70% of the 50 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • PFAS found at 1 monitoring site within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFecHS about 9.5 km away. What was measured
  • Right on the national average of 9 out of 10Most of the country's tested districts land within half a point of WS12. Compare every area

Next door

WS119.1 out of 10WS69.6 out of 10

Questions about WS12 water

Is WS12 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, WS12 (Cannock Chase) water scores 9/10, which is safe. 0 of 22 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.

What contaminants are in WS12 water?

We tested 22 contaminants in WS12 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 WS12?

WS12 (Cannock Chase) is supplied by Severn Trent. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Should I use a water filter in WS12?

WS12 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 WS12 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for WS12 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 1 river and groundwater samples from 1 sites within 10 km of WS12, the highest being PFecHS at 0.00058 µg/L about 9.5 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 WS12?

The Environment Agency rated the Saredon Brook from Source to River Penk as moderate for ecological health in its 2025 assessment, meaning the river is noticeably changed by pollution or engineering. It is held back by fish, insects and other small river life and ammonia. 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 WS12, 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 WS12

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
Turbidity4.8 NTU4 NTU
pH8.48 pHNone
Iron0.054 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Temperature9.7 °CNone
Conductivity553 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.061 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate30.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.0664 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.041 mg/LNone
Copper0.0041 mg/L2 mg/L
Zinc0.0109 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen10.3 mg/LNone
Hardness (as CaCO3)139 mg/LNone

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Source: Severn Trent 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