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Midlands · 8M customers

Severn Trent Water Tap Water Quality

Severn Trent Water supplies Midlands. Water is typically soft to moderately hard (~120 mg/L CaCO₃) — varies by zone — some limescale risk in harder areas. Enter your postcode for your exact zone's report.

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Severn Trent Water has an active DWI PFAS improvement programme

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has issued enforcement notices requiring Severn Trent Water to investigate and address PFAS ('forever chemical') contamination in some supply zones. All treated water is currently within guideline limits and is safe to drink. Target completion: 2031. Learn more about PFAS in UK water →

Key facts
Region
Midlands
Customers
8M
Supply zones
148
Typical hardness
~120 mg/L
Soft To Moderately Hard
PFAS notice
Active PFAS notice
About Severn Trent Water

Severn Trent Water supplies Midlands with drinking water drawn from a blend of upland Welsh reservoir sources via the Elan Valley, and lowland groundwater from the Triassic Sandstone and Coal Measures aquifers.

Severn Trent serves one of the most geologically varied supply regions in the UK — from soft Welsh upland water to harder Midlands groundwater. Birmingham and the Black Country receive some of the softest water in England, supplied from the Elan Valley reservoirs in mid-Wales at 40–80 mg/L CaCO₃. Zones further east towards Leicester and Nottingham rely more heavily on groundwater and are moderately to quite hard. Nitrate levels vary considerably by zone — rural zones in the eastern part of the region can approach 30–40 mg/L due to agricultural runoff.

Typical water profile

With typical hardness of approximately 120 mg/L CaCO₃, water in the Severn Trent Water supply area is classified as soft to moderately hard. Some limescale buildup is normal — regular descaling of kettles and coffee machines is recommended.

Notable: Wide regional variation — Birmingham very soft, Leicester area hard (~240 mg/L). Nitrate levels elevated in some rural east Midlands zones. Active PFAS programme under DWI enforcement.

Is Severn Trent Water water safe to drink?

Yes. All treated water supplied by Severn Trent Water meets the UK Drinking Water Regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) audits every water company annually — Severn Trent Water serves 8 million customers across 148 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 Severn Trent 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 Severn Trent 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 Severn Trent Water's most recent annual compliance report.

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