Burngreave Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Burngreave, the north Sheffield inner suburb in the Burngreave and Firth Park area above the Don valley, is supplied by Yorkshire Water. Sheffield's primary water sources are the Derwent Valley Reservoirs — Ladybower, Derwent and Howden — impounded on the upper Derwent in the Peak District National Park south of Sheffield. These reservoirs collect rainfall from the Dark Peak Moorland, draining Carboniferous Millstone Grit and Namurian shale — soft, calcium-depleted gritstone moorland typical of the High Peak. Yorkshire Water blends this with some supply from the Ewden Valley Reservoirs (Underbank and Broomhead) further west, which drain similar gritstone country. Treatment is at Rivelin and Redmires Water Treatment Works west of Sheffield, distributing east to the city and north inner suburbs including Burngreave.

The Carboniferous Millstone Grit moorlands of the Peak District that feed the Derwent reservoirs are calcium-poor formations producing inherently soft water. At 145.5 mg/L, Burngreave's supply is harder than the raw Derwent reservoir water alone, reflecting contributions from Carboniferous Limestone country in the White Peak around Bakewell and Buxton — from where some catchment streams drain into the upper Derwent system. Yorkshire Water's blending also draws on the Rivelin valley supply from the western moors. The resulting moderate hardness sits between the softest Pennine moorland supply and the harder limestone valleys of the Derbyshire Dales.

At 145.5 mg/L Burngreave's water is moderately hard and limescale accumulates steadily over time. Kettles benefit from descaling every five to six weeks using citric acid or white vinegar. Shower screens develop light mineral spots and respond well to periodic white vinegar cleaning. Washing-up liquid lathers adequately with reasonable amounts. Combi-boilers and washing machines face moderate scaling risk and a basic inline scale inhibitor is recommended. Sheffield's steel city heritage required vast quantities of reliable water from the Derwent reservoirs; today those same reservoirs deliver Burngreave's moderately hard, Peak District-influenced tap water.