Staveley Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Staveley, the north-east Derbyshire town in the Rother valley between Chesterfield and the South Yorkshire border, is supplied by Severn Trent Water. Supply for north-east Derbyshire draws on the Derwent Valley Reservoirs — Ladybower, Derwent and Howden — impounded in the upper Derwent valley in the Peak District National Park, supplemented by abstraction from the River Rother and groundwater from the Magnesian Limestone and Sherwood Sandstone on the Rother valley floor. The Derwent reservoir supply drains Carboniferous Millstone Grit moorland (soft), while the local Rother valley groundwater contribution adds moderate calcium carbonate from the Carboniferous limestone and Magnesian Limestone that outcrops east of Chesterfield. The resulting 128 mg/L hardness reflects this blend of soft upland Derwent supply and modest local groundwater mineralisation, with the low TDS of 303.3 mg/L confirming a predominantly surface-water character.

The Carboniferous Limestone of north Derbyshire — the White Peak fringe east of Matlock and south of Chesterfield — contributes modest calcium bicarbonate to river water in the Rother catchment, elevating hardness slightly above the pure Derwent reservoir baseline of 80–100 mg/L. The Magnesian Limestone appearing in outcrops east of Chesterfield at Coal Measures boundary adds some calcium sulphate. The blend in the Staveley distribution zone produces the characteristic 125–130 mg/L hardness typical of the north-east Derbyshire Rother valley supply.

At 128 mg/L Staveley's water is moderately soft and limescale management is undemanding. Kettles accumulate light scale and need descaling every six to eight weeks with a citric acid tablet or white vinegar soak. Shower screens develop only minor spotting and clean easily. Washing-up liquid lathers well. Combi-boilers and white goods face low scaling risk. Staveley's industrial heritage — coalfields, coke works and chemical plants along the Rother valley — contrasts with the gently soft Derwent-fed water supply that serves its residential households today.