Fraserburgh Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Scottish Water supplies Fraserburgh, the major fishing port in north-east Aberdeenshire — one of the largest whitefish ports in Europe, set on the exposed north Aberdeenshire coast at Kinnaird Head where the Lighthouse Museum marks Scotland's first mainland lighthouse — from Meikle Loch reservoir in the Buchan upland south of the town, treated at Meikle Loch Water Treatment Works. At 81.5 mg/L (5.7°Clark), Fraserburgh's water is soft — consistent with the Old Red Sandstone and Dalradian Metamorphic upland catchment of the Aberdeenshire Buchan plateau that produces naturally soft, low-mineral water.

Fraserburgh is supplied from Meikle Loch, impounded on the gently rolling Buchan Plateau — a landscape of Old Red Sandstone and Dalradian schist farmland south of Fraserburgh that produces soft, moderately low-TDS catchment water. The Old Red Sandstone of north-east Scotland weathers slowly and contributes limited calcium to reservoir water, yielding 81.5 mg/L with TDS 189 mg/L at Fraserburgh — soft water characteristic of the north-east Aberdeenshire upland reservoir supply zones of Peterhead, Fraserburgh, and the Buchan fishing communities.

At 81.5 mg/L, Fraserburgh's soft water is comfortable for domestic use with modest limescale demands. Descaling the kettle every two to three months is typically adequate. The combi-boiler benefits from a standard scale inhibitor as a sensible precaution. Washing-up liquid lathers well at everyday quantities. Taps and shower heads remain relatively scale-free with only occasional maintenance. The soft Buchan upland supply at Fraserburgh is a practical domestic asset for the fishing and fish-processing industry communities of this busy Aberdeenshire port.