Stafford Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Stafford, the county town of Staffordshire on the River Sow, is supplied by South Staffordshire Water (South Staffs Water group) drawing from the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone Aquifer beneath Staffordshire and the River Sow surface water catchment. South Staffordshire Water operates licensed boreholes into the Permo-Triassic Sherwood Sandstone beneath the Trent valley and adjacent sandstone country, supplemented by surface water abstractions from the Sow and the Staffordshire Trent valley. The Sherwood Sandstone aquifer beneath Stafford — the same productive sandstone formation exploited at Burton upon Trent — yields groundwater with moderate dissolved minerals from sandstone cement dissolution. This sandstone groundwater is blended with the moderately soft Sow surface water to produce the town's supply.

Stafford's hardness of 125.5 mg/L (8.8°Clark) reflects the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone groundwater and Sow catchment surface water blend. The Sherwood Sandstone yields groundwater with moderate calcium and sulphate content from sandstone matrix cements, without the very high calcium of chalk or Jurassic limestone aquifers. The River Sow drains the Cannock Chase sandstone country and the Staffordshire moorlands, contributing moderately mineralised surface water. The blend places Stafford in the moderately soft to moderately hard range of the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) classification.

Limescale is a moderate concern in Stafford. At 125.5 mg/L, limescale forms gradually in kettles and descaling every one to two months is typically sufficient. Combi-boiler heat exchangers accumulate modest deposits; annual servicing is sensible. Showerheads and taps develop light to moderate deposits. Washing-up liquid lathers reasonably well. Adding Calgon monthly to the washing machine and a regular kettle descale with white vinegar provides adequate limescale management for most Stafford households.