Lymington Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Southern Water supplies Lymington, the historic yachting town and Wightlink ferry port on the Solent in the New Forest of Hampshire, from the River Test chalk catchment and the Hampshire Chalk aquifer, treated at Testwood Water Treatment Works near Totton before distribution across south Hampshire and the New Forest coast. At 252.5 mg/L (17.7°Clark) and a TDS of 688.7 mg/L, Lymington's water is very hard, reflecting the deeply chalk-dominated hydrology of the Hampshire Basin that produces some of the hardest spring water in southern England.

The River Test is one of England's most celebrated chalk streams — its entire catchment draining the Hampshire Chalk of the Test Valley between Overton and Southampton Water — delivering crystal-clear, calcium-saturated groundwater discharge to the river. Southern Water abstracts from the Test at Testwood near Totton and from chalk boreholes throughout the Hampshire Basin, where the Upper Chalk aquifer is extensively confined beneath Reading Beds and London Clay deposits south of Winchester. This confined chalk delivers near-saturated calcium bicarbonate water to the south Hampshire and New Forest supply, producing the 252.5 mg/L hardness at Lymington with TDS 688.7 mg/L.

At 252.5 mg/L, limescale is a significant and persistent household challenge in Lymington. Kettles require descaling fortnightly to prevent element damage. The combi-boiler needs a properly fitted scale inhibitor and annual professional servicing to protect the heat exchanger. Washing-up liquid requires considerably more product per wash to achieve adequate lather in this very hard chalk water. Taps, shower heads, and basin mixers develop heavy limescale deposits within one to two weeks; a fortnightly descaling wipe with white vinegar or a proprietary product is strongly advisable, and a whole-house water softener is strongly recommended to protect all appliances and plumbing from this very hard Hampshire chalk supply.