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tapwater
England and Wales average 9.0

Tap water in YO23, YorkSafe to drink.Very hard.

Supplied by Yorkshire Water. 786 samples, 25 substances, latest on 21 September 2026. Everything is inside the legal limit, and nothing comes close to it.

Get softener quotes for YO23See everything that was tested

9.3 / 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 270 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 YO23 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 26% of it. 19 of 20 substances used under a quarter of theirs.

0%25%50%75%limitLegal limitChromium: 0.00019 mg/L, <1% of the 0.05 mg/L limitChromium<1%Selenium: 0.00043 mg/L, 1% of the 0.04 mg/L limitSelenium1%Cadmium: 0.00006 mg/L, 1% of the 0.005 mg/L limitCadmium1%Copper: 0.0293 mg/L, 1% of the 2 mg/L limitCopper1%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%Lead: 0.00017 mg/L, 2% of the 0.01 mg/L limitLead2%Boron: 0.0273 mg/L, 3% of the 1 mg/L limitBoron3%Turbidity: 0.11 NTU, 3% of the 4 NTU limitTurbidity3%Antimony: 0.000177 mg/L, 4% of the 0.005 mg/L limitAntimony4%Manganese: 0.00178 mg/L, 4% of the 0.05 mg/L limitManganese4%Mercury: 0.00004 mg/L, 4% of the 0.001 mg/L limitMercury4%Nickel: 0.00087 mg/L, 4% of the 0.02 mg/L limitNickel4%Iron: 0.00928 mg/L, 5% of the 0.2 mg/L limitIron5%Aluminium: 0.0113 mg/L, 6% of the 0.2 mg/L limitAluminium6%Trihalomethanes: 0.00709 mg/L, 7% of the 0.1 mg/L limitTrihalomethanes7%Fluoride: 0.14 mg/L, 9% of the 1.5 mg/L limitFluoride9%Bromate: 0.0013 mg/L, 13% of the 0.01 mg/L limitBromate13%Colour: 3 mg/L Pt/Co, 15% of the 20 mg/L Pt/Co limitColour15%Nitrate: 13 mg/L, 26% of the 50 mg/L limitNitrate26%
  1. Nitrate26%
  2. Colour15%
  3. Bromate13%
  4. Fluoride9%
  5. Trihalomethanes7%
  6. Aluminium6%
  7. Iron5%
  8. Nickel4%
  9. Mercury4%
  10. Manganese4%
  11. Antimony4%
  12. Turbidity3%
  13. Boron3%
  14. Lead2%
  15. Nitrite2%
  16. Arsenic1%
  17. Copper1%
  18. Cadmium1%
  19. Selenium1%
  20. Chromium<1%
  • Phosphate 1.22 mg/L
  • Coliform Bacteria none found
  • E. coli none found
  • Conductivity 645 µS/cm
All 25 results as a table
SubstanceResultLegal limitShare of limit
Phosphate1.22 mg/LNo legal limit–
Iron0.00928 mg/L0.2 mg/L
5%
Manganese0.00178 mg/L0.05 mg/L
4%
Aluminium0.0113 mg/L0.2 mg/L
6%
Coliform Bacteria0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
E. coli0 count/100mlMust be zeroNone found
Conductivity645 µS/cmNo legal limit–
Nitrite0.008 mg/L0.5 mg/L
2%
Nitrate13 mg/L50 mg/L
26%
Turbidity0.11 NTU4 NTU
3%
Colour3 mg/L Pt/Co20 mg/L Pt/Co
15%
Trihalomethanes0.00709 mg/L0.1 mg/L
7%
Lead0.00017 mg/L0.01 mg/L
2%
Copper0.0293 mg/L2 mg/L
1%
Mercury0.00004 mg/L0.001 mg/L
4%
Bromate0.0013 mg/L0.01 mg/L
13%
Nickel0.00087 mg/L0.02 mg/L
4%
Chromium0.00019 mg/L0.05 mg/L
<1%
Cadmium0.00006 mg/L0.005 mg/L
1%
Boron0.0273 mg/L1 mg/L
3%
Selenium0.00043 mg/L0.04 mg/L
1%
Arsenic0.00015 mg/L0.01 mg/L
1%
Antimony0.000177 mg/L0.005 mg/L
4%
Fluoride0.14 mg/L1.5 mg/L
9%
Hardness (as CaCO3)290 mg/LNo legal limit–

270mg 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 The Fleet/The Foss from Source to R Wharfe, rated moderate

The Environment Agency rated the The Fleet/The Foss from Source to R Wharfe 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. 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 dropped since the previous assessment.

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

Within 10 km

179

forever-chemical detections in nearby rivers and groundwater

At 9 sites. The highest was PFOS at 0.041 µg/L, at Wharfe Above Tadcaster Weir, 10.0 km away, in November 2023. These are river and borehole samples, not tests of your tap water.

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

YO23 in short

Tap water in YO23 (York) is supplied by Yorkshire Water in the York Central zone and scores 9.3 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 21 September 2026.

  • The cleanest tap water of the 9 areas tested in YorkYO23 scores 9.3 out of 10, ahead of YO30 in second place on 9.2. Every area in York
  • Very hard water at 270 mg/LThe threshold for very hard is 250 mg/L. Expect visible limescale on taps and in kettles in YO23. How hardness is measured
  • Scores higher than all 8 neighbouring districtsThe nearest rival is YO30 on 9.2, against 9.3 here. Compare with YO30

Next door

YO318.8 out of 10 · 238 mg/LYO249.1 out of 10 · 279 mg/LYO108.7 out of 10 · 268 mg/LYO19.1 out of 10 · 260 mg/LYO198.9 out of 10 · 307 mg/LYO269.1 out of 10 · 254 mg/LYO309.2 out of 10 · 249 mg/LYO329.2 out of 10 · 230 mg/L

Questions about YO23 water

Is YO23 tap water safe to drink?

Based on the latest tests, YO23 (York) water scores 9.3/10, which is safe. 0 of 25 tested contaminants exceeded recommended levels. Water is supplied by Yorkshire Water.

What contaminants are in YO23 water?

We tested 25 contaminants in YO23 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 YO23?

YO23 (York) is supplied by Yorkshire Water. You can view their full profile and compliance data on our supplier page.

Is YO23 water hard or soft?

Water in YO23 (York) has a hardness of 270 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 YO23?

YO23 water scored 9.3/10 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 YO23 water?

The tap-water tests we hold for YO23 do not include a PFAS result. Environment Agency monitoring found PFAS in 179 river and groundwater samples from 9 sites within 10 km of YO23, the highest being PFOS at 0.041 µg/L about 10 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 YO23?

The Environment Agency rated the The Fleet/The Foss from Source to R Wharfe 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. 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 dropped since the previous assessment. This is a rating of the river, not of tap water in YO23, which is treated before it reaches homes.

Keep reading

PFAS explainedHow to test your waterBest water filtersFilter shower headsWater testing kitsAll of YorkUK water rankingsWater hardness checkerWater hardness map

River and groundwater readings near YO23

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
pH0.13 pHNone
Dissolved Oxygen8.71 mg/LNone
Temperature11.6 °CNone
Conductivity818 µS/cmNone
Ammonia0.077 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Nitrate8.6 mg/L50 mg/L
Nitrite0.039 mg/L0.5 mg/L
Phosphate0.17 mg/LNone
PFAS (total)0.0014 µg/LNone

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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