Broadfield Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Southern Water supplies Broadfield, the southern residential district of Crawley in West Sussex — one of the UK's original New Towns and a community of the post-war planned era, built to rehouse London overspill and now the commercial hub of the Gatwick Airport corridor — from South Downs Chalk boreholes blended with Weir Wood Reservoir supply in the Crawley distribution zone, treated at Bewl Water Treatment Works near Lamberhurst. At 259 mg/L (18.2°Clark), Broadfield's water is very hard — consistent with the dominant South Downs Chalk aquifer supply that characterises the West Sussex distribution zone from Horsham through Crawley to Gatwick.

Broadfield lies in the Crawley distribution zone where Southern Water blends the primary South Downs Chalk borehole supply with a smaller proportion of Weir Wood Reservoir surface water from the High Weald. The chalk borehole component dominates, delivering calcium-rich chalk groundwater to produce 259 mg/L with TDS 659.6 mg/L — very hard water consistent with the wider Crawley and north West Sussex chalk-dominant supply zone, harder than the surface-water-diluted Weir Wood sub-zones but softer than the fully chalk-dominant coastal communities at Rustington (327.5 mg/L).

At 259 mg/L, limescale is a persistent and significant household problem in Broadfield. Kettles should be descaled every two to three weeks. The combi-boiler needs a fitted scale inhibitor and annual professional servicing. Washing-up liquid requires generous quantities for adequate lather. Taps and shower heads develop substantial white chalk deposits within a week to ten days; a fortnightly descaling with white vinegar or a proprietary product keeps fittings in good condition. A whole-house water softener is worth serious consideration for Broadfield households with high appliance usage or older plumbing.