Swadlincote Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Swadlincote, the principal town of the South Derbyshire district in the National Forest area of the Mease valley, is supplied by Severn Trent Water from the River Mease catchment and the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone aquifer of south Derbyshire. The Mease is a tributary of the Trent draining the south Derbyshire and north Leicestershire Triassic plain — the Mercia Mudstone and Sherwood Sandstone country of the National Forest and the Mease vale. Severn Trent draws from the Mease catchment and from Triassic sandstone boreholes in the south Derbyshire plain. The Triassic sandstone contributes moderately mineralised groundwater, while the Mease catchment over the Triassic mudstone/sandstone plain adds further moderate calcium, producing a moderately soft supply identical in hardness to Bromsgrove (107 mg/L) in the same Severn Trent supply tier.

Swadlincote's hardness of 107 mg/L (7.5°Clark) reflects the River Mease Triassic catchment and Triassic Sherwood Sandstone groundwater in Severn Trent's south Derbyshire National Forest supply zone — the same hardness as Bromsgrove in the same supply tier. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) classifies this supply as moderately soft.

Limescale is a moderate concern in Swadlincote. At 107 mg/L, limescale forms gradually — kettles need descaling every one to two months. Combi-boiler heat exchangers accumulate modest deposits; annual servicing is sensible. Showerheads and taps develop light deposits. Washing-up liquid lathers reasonably well. A monthly Calgon tablet in the washing machine and a regular kettle descale is adequate limescale management for most Swadlincote households.