Midlands
Severn Trent
What to Watch For
Water hardness changes dramatically across the region depending on source. This inconsistency makes it difficult to manage appliance protection and water quality.
Fertilisers, pesticides, and animal waste wash into water sources from farmland. Nitrate contamination is a persistent problem in agricultural regions.
Nitrates from fertiliser runoff can exceed safe levels in groundwater-fed supplies. High nitrate intake is particularly dangerous for infants and pregnant women.
Untreated sewage is discharged into rivers and water sources during heavy rainfall. These overflow events introduce bacteria, viruses, and chemical pollutants upstream of treatment intake points.
Former heavy industry left contamination in soil and infrastructure. Ageing pipes in industrial areas can introduce trace metals and chemical residues into tap water.
Lead leaches into drinking water from old service pipes. Even low-level exposure is linked to developmental harm in children and cardiovascular issues in adults.
Noticeable chlorine taste indicates higher-than-average treatment levels. While safe at regulated doses, it affects the flavour of drinking water, cooking, and hot drinks.
Trace levels of agricultural pesticides persist in treated water. While individually below legal limits, the cumulative effect of multiple residues is poorly understood.
Decades-old pipe networks corrode and degrade, introducing trace metals, sediment, and bacteria into the water supply between treatment and your tap.
Tiny plastic particles found in treated water supplies pass through standard filtration. Research into long-term health effects is ongoing, but early findings raise concern.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — "forever chemicals" — persist in water indefinitely. Linked to thyroid disease, immune suppression, and increased cancer risk. Standard treatment does not remove them.
When chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in water, it creates by-products including trihalomethanes. Long-term exposure is associated with increased health risks.
Trace amounts of medicines — from painkillers to hormones — have been detected in treated water supplies. Conventional treatment does not fully remove them.
Overview
Midlands water comes from a mix of river and reservoir sources, treated to meet minimum standards but carrying the signature of intensive agriculture and industrial history. Moderate-to-hard TDS means your appliances feel it too.
Water Hardness
Severn Trent water ranges from moderate to hard — 180–320 ppm depending on your postcode. Hard enough to fur your kettle and leave soap scum on every shower screen in the house.
Common Contaminants
The Midlands sits in the heart of UK farming country. Nitrate levels from agricultural runoff regularly approach regulatory limits. Severn Trent was fined £2 million for discharging 470 million litres of raw sewage into the River Trent. Industrial legacy contamination, lead pipes, pesticide residues, PFAS, and microplastics compound what chlorine treatment alone cannot address.
What Pluvia Removes
The nitrates from Midlands farming, the pesticide residues, the industrial trace metals, the PFAS, the chlorine and its by-products — Pluvia's RO membrane removes what Severn Trent's treatment leaves behind. Your TDS drops from 300 to under 30 — visible proof on the live display.
Regional Notes
Severn Trent supplies over 4 million homes across the Midlands. River Severn and River Trent both receive significant agricultural and urban discharge before reaching treatment works.
Check Your Extended Report
Want the full picture? Severn Trent publishes detailed water quality data for your exact postcode. Check their official report to see what's in your supply right now.
The information on this page is sourced from publicly available water quality reports published by Severn Trent and independent testing data. We do not guarantee its accuracy or that it reflects current conditions. Your actual water quality may be better or worse than described here. For the most up-to-date results, check your supplier's official report above.
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