North West England
United Utilities
What to Watch For
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.
A chlorine-resistant parasite found in agricultural catchment areas. Causes severe gastrointestinal illness and is not removed by standard chemical treatment.
Fertilisers, pesticides, and animal waste wash into water sources from farmland. Nitrate contamination is a persistent problem in agricultural regions.
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.
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.
Natural and synthetic organic compounds from peat, agriculture, and industry can react with chlorine to form harmful disinfection by-products including trihalomethanes.
Trace amounts of medicines — from painkillers to hormones — have been detected in treated water supplies. Conventional treatment does not fully remove them.
Overview
The North West draws from soft moorland reservoirs — great for your kettle, less great for what dissolves along the way. Low mineral content masks the chlorine, lead, and organic compounds your filter jug cannot catch.
Water Hardness
North West water runs soft — typically 30–120 ppm. No limescale on your kettle, but soft water is more corrosive. It dissolves more lead and copper from older pipes on its way to your tap.
Common Contaminants
Chlorine levels run high to compensate for long distribution distances. A major cryptosporidium outbreak in 2015 affected 300,000+ customers — caused by agricultural runoff entering supply. Lead pipes remain in an estimated third of pre-1970 properties. Sewage overflow incidents, PFAS, and microplastics add to what ageing pipe networks already deliver.
What Pluvia Removes
The lead your soft water dissolves from old pipes, the chlorine that masks cryptosporidium risk, the PFAS and organic compounds from peat sources, the microplastics your filter jug ignores — Pluvia's RO membrane catches them all. UV-C sterilisation eliminates parasites that chlorine cannot.
Regional Notes
The Lake District reservoirs supplying Manchester travel over 90 miles through Victorian-era aqueducts. Beautiful engineering — but old pipes pick up what new treatment plants cannot fully remove.
Check Your Extended Report
Want the full picture? United Utilities 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 United Utilities 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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