Discover Water is a consumer comparison site. UKDataAPI is a developer API with storm overflow data, EA water quality, and scoring.
Discover Water (discoverwater.co.uk) is Ofwat's consumer-facing website that compares water company performance across England and Wales. It shows metrics like leakage rates, supply interruptions, customer satisfaction, and environmental performance at the water company level. It's free and easy to understand — but it's a web-only tool with no API, no postcode-level granularity, and no storm overflow data. UKDataAPI's Water endpoint goes deeper: it returns Environment Agency water quality classifications, storm overflow counts and spill hours from the Event Duration Monitoring dataset, bathing water quality, and water company Ofwat performance ratings — all queryable by postcode. For developers building environmental tools, property platforms, or water quality monitors, UKDataAPI provides the raw data behind Discover Water's high-level summaries.
| Feature | UKDataAPI | Ofwat Discover Water |
|---|---|---|
| Water company comparison | Company name with Ofwat rating | ✓Interactive company comparison across metrics |
| Storm overflow data | ✓Spill counts and hours within 5km radius | Not included |
| EA water quality (WFD) | ✓Nearest waterbody ecological classification | Not included (high-level only) |
| Bathing water quality | ✓Nearest sites with classifications and distances | Summary statistics only |
| Water Quality Score | ✓0-100 composite with factor breakdown | No scoring — editorial comparisons |
| Postcode-level queries | ✓Enter a postcode, get local water data | Water company level only |
| Leakage data | Not included | ✓Company-level leakage metrics |
| Customer satisfaction | Not included | ✓Customer satisfaction comparisons |
| Output format | ✓Structured JSON API | Web-only — no API or data export |
| Batch processing | ✓Up to 500 req/min | Not possible — web interface only |
| Supply interruption data | Not included | ✓Company-level interruption metrics |
| AI agent access (MCP/x402) | ✓Native support | Not available |
UKDataAPI
From £0.005/call (summary) to £0.025/call (full). Pay-as-you-go. Free tier: 200 credits/month.
Ofwat Discover Water
Free. Ofwat public website. No API access.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ "https://www.ukdatapi.com/api/v1/water/BN1%201AB?depth=standard" # Returns: Water Quality Score (0-100), storm overflows, # EA water quality, bathing water, water company rating # Cost: 12 credits (£0.025)
200 free credits. No contract. No credit card.
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