South East England
Southern Water
What to Watch For
Extremely high mineral concentration changes the taste of your drinking water and tea. Associated with increased kidney stone formation, skin irritation, and eczema flare-ups.
Total dissolved solids above 300 ppm indicate heavy mineral loading. High TDS affects taste, scales appliances, and suggests other dissolved contaminants may be present.
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.
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.
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.
Decades-old pipe networks corrode and degrade, introducing trace metals, sediment, and bacteria into the water supply between treatment and your tap.
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.
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.
Trace levels of agricultural pesticides persist in treated water. While individually below legal limits, the cumulative effect of multiple residues is poorly understood.
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.
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
The South East sits on chalk downlands that push TDS above 300 ppm in most postcodes. Your water is legally safe — but "safe" and "pure" are not the same thing. Chlorine, lead risk, and extreme hardness are the norm here.
Water Hardness
Southern Water's supply is consistently very hard — 270–370 ppm. Limescale builds in pipes, boilers, and kettles. You're descaling appliances that Pluvia would protect automatically.
Common Contaminants
Southern Water recorded 269 pollution incidents in 2024 — one of the worst records in England. PFAS hotspots linked to airport proximity have been found in treated water. Lead pipes remain in pre-war housing stock. High chlorine dosing, agricultural nitrates, pesticides, and microplastics add to what reaches your glass.
What Pluvia Removes
The very hard water that scales everything it touches, the PFAS from airport runoff, the lead from pre-war pipes, the chlorine and its by-products, the agricultural nitrates and pesticides — Pluvia's RO takes your TDS from 370 to under 30. UV-C sterilisation adds protection that 269 pollution incidents prove you need.
Regional Notes
Southern Water has faced repeated regulatory action for pollution incidents. The company has received significant fines for untreated sewage discharge — upstream of intake points that feed your tap.
Check Your Extended Report
Want the full picture? Southern Water 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 Southern Water 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.
Your area has Very hard water & High TDS concerns — Pluvia removes them.
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