South Staffordshire Water Tap Water Quality

South Staffordshire Water supplies South Staffs & Cambridgeshire with drinking water drawn from the Triassic Sandstone aquifer in South Staffordshire, and chalk aquifers in Cambridgeshire (which it manages as Cambridge Water).

South Staffordshire Water serves two geographically separate areas: the West Midlands conurbation south of Wolverhampton and Walsall, and Cambridgeshire via its subsidiary Cambridge Water. The South Staffordshire area draws from the Triassic Sandstone aquifer, producing hard water at 200–260 mg/L. Wolverhampton zones tend to be harder than the Birmingham area (which receives soft Elan Valley water from Severn Trent). PFAS has been identified as a concern at a small number of sites related to industrial heritage in the Black Country region.

Typical water profile

With typical hardness of approximately 230 mg/L CaCO₃, water in the South Staffordshire Water supply area is classified as hard to very hard. This means significant limescale buildup on kettles, showerheads, and heating elements over time. A water softener or quality filter jug is a worthwhile investment for most households in this area.

Notable: Hard water in South Staffordshire zones (~200–260 mg/L), very hard in Cambridgeshire (~310 mg/L). Active PFAS improvement programme under DWI enforcement.

Is South Staffordshire Water water safe to drink?

Yes. All treated water supplied by South Staffordshire Water meets the UK Drinking Water Regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) audits every water company annually — South Staffordshire Water serves 1.6 million customers across 28 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 South Staffordshire 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 South Staffordshire 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 South Staffordshire Water's most recent annual compliance report.