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England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in WS5, WalsallSafe to drink.

Supplied by Severn Trent. 5,882 samples, 21 substances, latest on 24 December 2024. 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 WS5 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 71% of it. 17 of 19 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitCopper: 0.011 mg/L, <1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper<1%Nitrite: 0.004 mg/L, <1% of the 0.5 mg/L limitNitrite<1%Chromium: 0.0005 mg/L, 1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium1%Selenium: 0.0008 mg/L, 2% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium2%Cadmium: 0.00012 mg/L, 2% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium2%Turbidity: 0.12 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Aluminium: 0.0061 mg/L, 3% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium3%Manganese: 0.0017 mg/L, 3% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese3%Iron: 0.0073 mg/L, 4% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron4%Antimony: 0.0002 mg/L, 4% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony4%Boron: 0.04 mg/L, 4% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron4%Nickel: 0.0009 mg/L, 5% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel5%Bromate: 0.0008 mg/L, 8% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate8%Lead: 0.0009 mg/L, 9% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead9%Fluoride: 0.149 mg/L, 10% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride10%Arsenic: 0.001 mg/L, 10% of the 0.01 mg/L limitArsenic10%Colour: 2 mg/L Pt/Co, 10% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour10%Nitrate: 16.9 mg/L, 34% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate34%Trihalomethanes: 0.0712 mg/L, 71% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes71%
  1. Trihalomethanes71%
  2. Nitrate34%
  3. Arsenic10%
  4. Colour10%
  5. Fluoride10%
  6. Lead9%
  7. Bromate8%
  8. Nickel5%
  9. Antimony4%
  10. Boron4%
  11. Iron4%
  12. Manganese3%
  13. Aluminium3%
  14. Turbidity3%
  15. Cadmium2%
  16. Selenium2%
  17. Chromium1%
  18. Nitrite<1%
  19. Copper<1%
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • Conductivity 328 µS/cm
All 21 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Nitrate16.9 mg/L50 mg/L
34%
Nitrite0.004 mg/L0.5 mg/L
<1%
Aluminium0.0061 mg/L0.2 mg/L
3%
Iron0.0073 mg/L0.2 mg/L
4%
Manganese0.0017 mg/L0.05 mg/L
3%
Copper0.011 mg/L2 mg/L
<1%
Fluoride0.149 mg/L1.5 mg/L
10%
Arsenic0.001 mg/L0.01 mg/L
10%
Cadmium0.00012 mg/L0.005 mg/L
2%
Chromium0.0005 mg/L0.05 mg/L
1%
Nickel0.0009 mg/L0.02 mg/L
5%
Lead0.0009 mg/L0.01 mg/L
9%
Antimony0.0002 mg/L0.005 mg/L
4%
Selenium0.0008 mg/L0.04 mg/L
2%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Colour2 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
10%
Turbidity0.12 NTU4 NTU
3%
Conductivity328 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Boron0.04 mg/L1 mg/L
4%
Bromate0.0008 mg/L0.01 mg/L
8%
Trihalomethanes0.0712 mg/L0.1 mg/L
71%
Outside your tap

Your river is the Tame - conf two arms to R Rea, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the Tame - conf two arms to R Rea 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

23

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 5 sites. The highest was PFHxS (linear) at 0.0094 µg/L, at Sandwell Park Golf Club Borehole, West Bromwich, 6.1 km away, in September 2025. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

WS5 in short

Tap water in WS5 (Walsall) is supplied by Severn Trent in the Walsall Central zone and scores 9.0 out of 10, against an England and Wales average of 9.0. None of the 21 tested substances came close to a limit. The latest sample is from 24 December 2024.

  • Trihalomethanes is the reading closest to its limit, at 71% of the 0.1 mg/L maximumIt passed with room to spare, and everything else tested sat further below its limit. See every reading
  • 4th cleanest of 9 areas tested in WalsallSquarely mid-table for Walsall, between WS3 on 9.6 and WS1 on 8.7.
  • PFAS found at 5 monitoring sites within 10 kmThose are river and groundwater samples, not tap water. The highest was PFHxS (linear) about 6.1 km away. What was measured

Next door

WV128.8 out of 10WV139.0 out of 10WS29.2 out of 10WS18.7 out of 10WS99.0 out of 10WS39.6 out of 10WS48.9 out of 10WS89.1 out of 10B719.3 out of 10B708.9 out of 10

Questions about WS5 water

Is WS5 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, WS5 (Walsall) water scores 9/10, which is safe. 0 of 21 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Severn Trent.

What contaminants are in WS5 water?

We tested 21 contaminants in WS5 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 WS5?

WS5 (Walsall) 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 WS5?

WS5 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 WS5 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for WS5 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 23 river and groundwater samples from 5 sites within 10 km of WS5, the highest being PFHxS (linear) at 0.0094 µg/L about 6.1 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 WS5?

The Environment Agency rated the Tame - conf two arms to R Rea 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 WS5, 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 WS5

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
Nickel0.018 mg/L0.02 mg/L
pH7.7 pHNone
Temperature15.4 °CNone
Conductivity1106 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.15 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate6.5 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.13 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.084 mg/LNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.66 mg/LNone
Hardness (as CaCO3)339 mg/LNone
Zinc0.014 mg/LNone
Iron0.052 mg/L0.2 mg/L
Copper0.00964 mg/L2 mg/L

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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