London & Thames Valley
Thames 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.
Decades-old pipe networks corrode and degrade, introducing trace metals, sediment, and bacteria into the water supply between treatment and your tap.
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.
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.
Trace amounts of medicines — from painkillers to hormones — have been detected in treated water supplies. Conventional treatment does not fully remove them.
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.
When chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in water, it creates by-products including trihalomethanes. Long-term exposure is associated with increased health risks.
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.
Nitrates from fertiliser runoff can exceed safe levels in groundwater-fed supplies. High nitrate intake is particularly dangerous for infants and pregnant women.
Overview
London's tap water passes through some of the oldest pipe networks in the country — and picks up what's inside them. With TDS levels among the highest in the UK, your kettle knows what your taste buds already suspect.
Water Hardness
London sits on chalk and limestone. Your water arrives with 260–360 ppm of dissolved minerals — enough to scale your kettle in weeks and leave residue on every surface it touches.
Common Contaminants
Thames Water treats with chlorine, but it stays in your glass — forming disinfection by-products along the way. Victorian-era lead pipes still serve thousands of properties. PFAS "forever chemicals" have been found in the Thames at nearly 50 times proposed safety limits. Microplastics, pharmaceutical traces, and sewage overflow events compound the problem.
What Pluvia Removes
London's very hard water, PFAS from the Thames, lead from Victorian pipes, chlorine by-products, microplastics, pharmaceutical traces — Pluvia's 4-stage RO removes them all. Your TDS drops from 300+ to under 30. UV-C sterilisation catches what sewage overflows leave behind.
Regional Notes
A significant portion of London's water is recycled from the Thames — treated, yes, but recycled through a river that receives agricultural runoff and urban discharge upstream. Some pipes in central London date back to the 1850s.
Check Your Extended Report
Want the full picture? Thames 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 Thames 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.
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