Bishops Cleeve Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Severn Trent Water supplies Bishops Cleeve, a large village at the foot of the Cotswold escarpment in Gloucestershire between Cheltenham and Winchcombe — overlooked by Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds — from the River Severn abstracted at Mythe near Tewkesbury and blended with Cotswold Limestone spring and borehole supply, treated at Mythe Water Treatment Works. At 173 mg/L (12.1°Clark), Bishops Cleeve's water is moderately hard, reflecting the blend of the moderately calcareous Cotswold Jurassic limestone spring contributions with the diluting Severn surface water supply.

Bishops Cleeve sits at the escarpment foot of the Cotswold Hills where the Middle Jurassic Great Oolite and Inferior Oolite limestones dip westward toward the Severn Vale. The Cotswold Spring catchments feeding into the Severn Trent distribution network for north Gloucestershire contribute calcium-rich limestone groundwater drawn from the Jurassic oolite aquifer — the same formation that feeds the Chelt, Isbourne, and Windrush rivers on the dip-slope. Blended with the Severn abstraction at Mythe, this produces 173 mg/L with TDS 437.4 mg/L for the Cheltenham fringe supply zone.

At 173 mg/L, limescale is a noticeable household concern in Bishops Cleeve. Kettles benefit from descaling every four to six weeks. The combi-boiler should be fitted with a scale inhibitor and serviced annually. Washing-up liquid requires slightly more product than in softer areas. Taps and shower heads develop moderate limescale deposits within two to three weeks; a monthly wipe with white vinegar keeps fixtures in good condition. The moderately hard supply is characteristic of the Cotswold escarpment villages between Cheltenham and Winchcombe, where the Jurassic limestone geology gives the supply a pleasantly mineralised character.