Cinderford Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Severn Trent Water supplies Cinderford, the principal town of the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire — at the heart of the ancient royal forest between the Severn Estuary and the Wye Valley, an area shaped by coal mining, iron ore extraction, and the unique Dean Forest commoners freemining rights — from the River Severn abstracted at Mythe near Tewkesbury blended with Forest of Dean Carboniferous Limestone spring supply, treated at Mythe Water Treatment Works. At 163.5 mg/L (11.5°Clark), Cinderford's water is moderately hard — consistent with the calcareous character of the Forest of Dean Carboniferous Limestone and Dolomite geology that underpins the ancient forest landscape.

Cinderford sits on the Forest of Dean Coalfield — a geological basin of Carboniferous Coal Measures enclosed by the Carboniferous Limestone rim of the Dean Forest plateau. Severn Trent Water supplements the moderately calcareous River Severn supply with spring contributions from the Carboniferous Limestone (Dinantian) outcrop around the Forest of Dean margins, producing 163.5 mg/L with TDS 413.7 mg/L — a moderately hard supply with a characteristic Carboniferous limestone bicarbonate hardness quality typical of the Forest of Dean supply zone.

At 163.5 mg/L, limescale is a noticeable household concern in Cinderford. 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 Forest of Dean limestone and Severn blend supply is the fitting water quality of a town built on one of England's most geologically varied and historically unique royal forest landscapes.