Mayfield Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Scottish Water supplies Mayfield, a former coal-mining village in Midlothian south-east of Dalkeith — adjacent to the Lady Victoria Colliery National Mining Museum Scotland and the Newtongrange mining heritage landscape — from Gladhouse Reservoir in the Moorfoot Hills, treated at Glencorse Water Treatment Works near Penicuik. At 78 mg/L (5.5°Clark), Mayfield's water is soft, consistent with the upland Moorfoot Hills reservoir supply that defines water quality across Midlothian and the south Edinburgh distribution zone.

Gladhouse Reservoir is impounded on the South Esk in the Moorfoot Hills — upland Silurian and Ordovician greywacke and shale country forming the southern Midlothian hill plateau. These ancient compacted sedimentary rocks are impermeable and calcium-poor, producing naturally soft, low-TDS catchment water. Scottish Water routes this supply northward to Midlothian communities via the Glencorse treatment works, producing 78 mg/L with TDS 178.2 mg/L at Mayfield — characteristic of the soft Moorfoot Hills reservoir supply throughout the south Edinburgh and Midlothian distribution zones.

At 78 mg/L, Mayfield's soft water is comfortable for domestic use with minimal 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. In older properties with lead or copper pipework, residents should briefly run the cold tap before drinking, as soft water can be mildly corrosive to metal plumbing — standard Scottish Water guidance throughout the soft Moorfoot Hills supply zone of Midlothian.