Bristol Water Tap Water Quality

Bristol Water supplies Bristol & surrounding area with drinking water drawn from a blend of surface water from the Mendip Hills reservoirs (Chew Valley, Blagdon) and some River Severn abstractions, plus groundwater.

Bristol Water serves the greater Bristol area and surrounding towns including Bath (jointly with Wessex Water), Weston-super-Mare, and Frome. The Mendip Hills reservoirs — Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake — are the primary sources, producing moderately hard water at 140–200 mg/L CaCO₃. Some zones in the north and east of the supply area relying on River Severn abstractions or local groundwater can be slightly softer or harder. Bristol Water has a strong compliance record and is one of the smaller companies with consistently high customer satisfaction scores. No separate PFAS enforcement notice is active, though PFAS monitoring is ongoing as standard.

Typical water profile

With typical hardness of approximately 160 mg/L CaCO₃, water in the Bristol Water supply area is classified as moderately hard. Some limescale buildup is normal — regular descaling of kettles and coffee machines is recommended.

Notable: Moderately hard water from Mendip reservoir sources. Good compliance record. No separate PFAS enforcement notice.

Is Bristol Water water safe to drink?

Yes. All treated water supplied by Bristol Water meets the UK Drinking Water Regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) audits every water company annually — Bristol Water serves 1.2 million customers across 25 supply zones. Each zone is tested thousands of times per year and results are published in the annual compliance report.

However, water quality varies significantly between zones within the Bristol Water supply area. Your specific zone may have different hardness, nitrate, or THM levels from your neighbour in a different zone. That's why it's worth checking your exact postcode above.

How to check your Bristol Water zone

Enter your postcode in the box above to see zone-specific data for your address — including hardness, nitrates, lead, chlorine, fluoride, and THMs — drawn directly from Bristol Water's most recent annual compliance report.