The East of England includes the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. So are these areas primarily supplied by hard or soft water? Let’s take a look!
What is the scale of hardness?
We can categorise water hardness into 3 different groups, the ppm stands for parts per million and refers to the amount of calcium carbonate and magnesium present in the water:
Soft to moderately soft water – 1 -100ppm
Medium to moderately hard water- 100-200ppm
Hard to very hard water – Over 200 ppm
Water is hard when it runs through or sits in areas with high mineral content. Water taken from certain sources is much more likely to be hard. Groundwater sources such as underground aquifers are a prime example of a hard water source.
Does Bedfordshire have hard water?
Bedfordshire has hard to very hard water and is supplied by Affinity Water and Anglian Water.
Does Cambridgeshire have hard water?
The water in Cambridgeshire is classed mostly from hard to very hard. Cambridgeshire is supplied by Cambridge Water and Anglian Water.
Does Essex have hard water?
Water in Essex is classed as hard to very hard. The water here is mostly supplied by three different water companies Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Essex and Suffolk Water.
Does the Hertfordshire have hard water
Hertfordshire has hard to very hard water and is supplied by Affinity Water.
Does Norfolk have hard water
Water in Norfolk is classed as hard to very hard. It is supplied by Affinity Water and Essex and Suffolk Water.
Does Suffolk have hard water?
Oxfordshire has hard to very hard water and is supplied by Anglian Water and Essex and Suffolk Water .
Which Water suppliers are active in this region?
There are 4 different water suppliers across the East England region. We’ll take a quick look at each of them and where they source their water from.
Affinity Water: Over 60% of Affinity’s water is sourced from groundwater taken directly from Aquifers. The remaining water comes from the Thames.
Anglian Water: Anglian water sources 50% of its supply from rivers and above ground reservoirs and the other 50% from underground reservoirs and aquifers.
Cambridge Water: Cambridge Water is sourced from a chalk aquifier to the South and East of Cambridge
Essex and Suffolk Water: Most of Essex and Suffolks water is sourced from river systems with additional water coming from boreholes and surface water.
Final Thoughts
The East of England has very hard water on account of the prevalence of chalk Aquifers as a water source. Essex and East Anglia are especially hard. Every county in the East is supplied with water in the Hard to very hard category. If you are moving to the East or already live there and are fed up with the limescale you may want to look into a way to treat your water. Find out how Halcyan can help using the link below!
