Kirkby in Ashfield Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Kirkby in Ashfield, the north Nottinghamshire coal-mining town on the edge of Sherwood Forest between Nottingham and Mansfield, is supplied by Severn Trent Water. Supply for the Kirkby–Mansfield area draws primarily on the Sherwood Sandstone Aquifer — the Permo-Triassic Nottingham Castle Sandstone that underlies the Nottinghamshire plateau and provides the largest productive sandstone aquifer in the English Midlands. Boreholes at Papplewick Pumping Station (historic and operational) and other sites across the Sherwood fringe abstract groundwater from this sandstone, which is supplemented by blending with treated surface water from the Derwent Valley and Elan Valley supply during high-demand periods. The Permian Magnesian Limestone aquifer also contributes to the distribution network in some eastern Kirkby supply zones, elevating TDS to 426.6 mg/L — above what pure sandstone groundwater would produce.

The Nottingham Castle Sandstone (Sherwood Sandstone Group) is a coarse red Triassic sandstone with calcium carbonate cementation in some horizons, yielding moderately hard groundwater at 150–180 mg/L. To the east, the Permian Magnesian Limestone contributes harder, sulphate-rich groundwater that is blended into the network. The resulting 167.5 mg/L hardness and elevated TDS in Kirkby reflect this dual aquifer character — carbonate hardness from the sandstone and dolomite, supplemented by sulphate from Magnesian Limestone evaporite interbeds.

At 167.5 mg/L Kirkby in Ashfield's water is moderately hard and limescale is a consistent household concern. Kettles should be descaled monthly using a citric acid tablet. Shower screens benefit from fortnightly cleaning with white vinegar spray. Washing-up liquid lathers adequately. Combi-boilers and washing machines benefit from inline scale inhibitor protection. Kirkby's former colliery and hosiery industry heritage is part of the Sherwood Forest borderland, and the same sandstone that underlies Sherwood's oak woodland provides the town with its characteristic moderately mineralised groundwater supply.