SWANAGE: your water explained
Published results for this named supply area. Your address may be served by a different area.
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Your water at a glance
Hard water. Expect limescale.
For your home, the main practical issue is mineral scale in kettles, showers and appliances. Check your dishwasher setting and follow appliance care instructions.
274.4 mg/l as CaCO₃
Soft ≤100 · Slightly hard ≤150 · Moderately hard ≤200 · Hard ≤300 · Very hard >300 mg/l. DWI hardness bands; not safety grades.
Published quality checks
More context is needed
These labels describe Reporting period not retained in the cached source. 5 other parameters have no complete compliance judgement here. They are not a guarantee about an individual tap today.
Understand the reported results ↓Make this useful for your home
Hardness reporting period: Reporting period not retained in the cached source · Quality reporting period: Reporting period not retained in the cached source
Appliance settings · Convert hardness units
2.74 mmol/l
A conversion of the published hardness, not another test. Follow your appliance’s model-specific instructions.
The automated collector cannot currently retrieve this source. This is the retained approved report; check the supplier for newer information. Original supplier report ↗
Drinking-water results
What do the important results mean?
Read the status, sample range and source requirement together. A low average can hide an individual exceedance. Green labels mean the supplier reported no exceedances for that parameter and period; amber calls for source context.
Lead
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
1.1 µg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
Plumbing can affect lead at an individual tap. An area average cannot rule out a problem with pipes at your property.
4 samples · Range: — to — µg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Nitrate
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
29.1 mg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
A dissolved compound monitored against drinking-water requirements. Its mean, highest reported result and sample count answer different questions.
4 samples · Range: — to — mg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Fluoride
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
0.07 mg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
Can occur naturally or be added through a fluoridation scheme. The concentration alone does not tell you whether it was added; a lower number is not automatically better.
4 samples · Range: — to — mg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
For your household
What should you do next?
Check appliance settings
Match the hardness unit to your dishwasher manual. Settings depend on the model.
Dishwasher guideManage limescale
Follow the manufacturer’s descaling advice. Check what a filter actually removes before buying.
Filters and limescaleA new change at your tap?
For a new taste, smell, colour or supply problem, check current supplier advice. Annual data is not a live incident feed.
Official supplier help ↗Taste, appearance and mineral content
Chlorine, pH and minerals answer different questions. Calcium and magnesium help describe hardness; chloride is different from treatment chlorine. None is a stand-alone water-quality score.
How to read a water-quality reportHas the hardness changed?
History for this reported source area. Only comparable annual statistics appear in the chart; rolling summaries are kept separate. These are not daily tests at your address.
A comparable historical series is not available yet. We will add earlier reports when we can verify their periods and source areas.
Explore all measurements · 6 parameters · Reporting period not retained in the cached source
Every result retains its original units, range, sample count and source notes. Comparisons use the reference printed in this report; qualitative references and missing limits are not converted into invented pass/fail judgements. Unlisted substances are not necessarily absent from the water.
Hardness and minerals 2 parameters
Total hardness
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
274.4 mg/l as CaCO₃
Source reference: Not supplied
Dissolved calcium and magnesium affect limescale and appliance settings. This is a mineral description, not a safety score.
Sample count not supplied · Range: — to — mg/l as CaCO₃
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Original wording and source notes
Source reference: Not supplied. Source parameter: hardness. Original mean: 274.4 mg/l as CaCO₃.
Fluoride
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
0.07 mg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
Can occur naturally or be added through a fluoridation scheme. The concentration alone does not tell you whether it was added; a lower number is not automatically better.
4 samples · Range: — to — mg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Original wording and source notes
Source reference: Not supplied. Source parameter: fluoride. Original mean: 0.07 mg/l.
Taste, appearance and treatment 1 parameters
Conductivity
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
467.2 µS/cm
Source reference: Not supplied
Indicates how readily water conducts electricity, influenced by dissolved ions. It is not a direct measurement of hardness or safety.
4 samples · Range: — to — µS/cm
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Original wording and source notes
Source reference: Not supplied. Source parameter: conductivity. Original mean: 467.2 µS/cm.
Metals 2 parameters
Iron
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
3 µg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
Can affect water colour, staining and taste. A historical result does not diagnose a change in your tap water today.
4 samples · Range: — to — µg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Original wording and source notes
Source reference: Not supplied. Source parameter: iron. Original mean: 3 µg/l.
Lead
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
1.1 µg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
Plumbing can affect lead at an individual tap. An area average cannot rule out a problem with pipes at your property.
4 samples · Range: — to — µg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Original wording and source notes
Source reference: Not supplied. Source parameter: lead. Original mean: 1.1 µg/l.
Other monitored substances 1 parameters
Nitrate
No numerical limit supplied
Published mean
29.1 mg/l
Source reference: Not supplied
A dissolved compound monitored against drinking-water requirements. Its mean, highest reported result and sample count answer different questions.
4 samples · Range: — to — mg/l
This report gives no numerical limit for this parameter. A higher or lower number is not automatically better.
Original wording and source notes
Source reference: Not supplied. Source parameter: nitrate. Original mean: 29.1 mg/l.
Sources, dates and how to interpret this page
- Reporting period
- Reporting period not retained in the cached source
- Source retrieved
- 2026-02-27
- Last verified source check
- No later check recorded
- Original publication
- Wessex Water report ↗
Published area statistics are not a test at your home or a current incident report.
The cached checker did not retain an explicit reporting year. The source link may now show a newer period.
Status labels describe the published parameter and period. Historical exceedances do not automatically establish a current incident. Numerical limits are taken from the original report, not applied indiscriminately across countries, dates or sampling locations. DWI explains how standards work in England and Wales.
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Town pages for this source area
These town pages show this area's approved report. A town can span several supply areas; check your postcode for your address.