UK - Northumbrian Water Reports 2020 and 2021 - INCREASES in hardness that are worth knowing

[sparkypenguin]

So on the back of another thread I thought it would be worth sharing these reports on a separate thread as I believe that they show that the water hardness readings in this area increased significantly from 2020 to 2021.
The 2020 water was on average 6.01 dH and within a range of 3.74 to 8.28 where as the 2021 results was on average 14.23 and within a range of 4.84 to 19.32.
Hence the average and max have more than doubled!
I have attached the reports just in case I am reading them incorrectly.
I am hoping to get some 2022 data in the very near future.

 

[Linkandnavi]

Northumbrian Water uses surface water (from rivers and reservoirs) and then blends them.

I imagine any changes over time to the water parameters will result from the changing blends. I.e. more water captured from a river with higher hardness in one year, more from a river with lower hardness another year, depending on rainfall and reservoir capacity at any given time.

Next year may see a higher blend, or a lower.

 

[Linkandnavi]

It's also worth noting that the "average" is an average of the highest and lowest from tests at different properties within the water board's delivery area.

It doesn't mean that the average hardness out of any particular tap or property has changed, although it might have. It might just be that the water company now tests water from an additional 50 properties that they didn't test previously, which may be in a hard water area, with a resultant increase in the average.

I note that the lowest recorded hardness figures are approximately the same for each year, in the 3/4 area, so it isn't a universal increase across the supply.

Ultimately the reports only get you so far. The important thing will be what you measure out of your taps.

 

[AmyKieran]

I wish my Northumbrian water supply hardness would go. My water is softer than butter

 

[Lynnzer]

I'm in Peterlee and belive me when I say I just about chew the water. The pH is usually above 8.5 and the GhH is normally around 456 ppm.
That's why i set up a rainwater barrel, but then came a loss of the Castle Eden pumping station making them draw water fromsome other source and the pH was at 7 and GH was at 167. So that sort of kiilled my water barrel build. But then after 3 weeks things reverted to normal hard as conctete water.
Thank God it's raining again..........