Brough Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Yorkshire Water supplies Brough, a market town on the northern bank of the Humber Estuary in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The town's water is drawn from a blend of groundwater from the Permo-Triassic Sherwood Sandstone aquifer and surface water from rivers draining the Yorkshire Wolds, treated at regional East Yorkshire works and distributed across the Humber lowlands. At 109.5 mg/L (7.7°Clark), Brough's water is moderately soft — a relatively low level for Yorkshire's chalk-influenced eastern zone, reflecting the blending of softer sandstone groundwater with chalk-derived surface water components.

Brough sits within the Humber Lowlands where the Sherwood Sandstone (Triassic) underlies the flat agricultural land between the Wolds and the estuary. This formation is a significant aquifer but yields water of moderate mineralisation, with calcium derived from interstitial carbonate cements rather than the extensive chalk dissolution seen in the Yorkshire Wolds. The Yorkshire Chalk aquifer, which produces much harder water in East Yorkshire, has a more limited influence in the Humber lowland supply zone, keeping overall hardness within the moderately soft range.

At 109.5 mg/L, Brough's water is moderately soft and limescale accumulation is relatively gentle. Descaling the kettle every six to eight weeks is typically adequate to maintain good performance and keep drinks free of deposits. The combi-boiler benefits from a fitted scale inhibitor as standard good practice. Washing-up liquid lathers satisfactorily at normal quantities. Taps and shower heads develop only light limescale deposits over a few weeks; a monthly wipe with white vinegar or a mild descaling solution is all that is generally required to keep fittings clean and in good working order.