Ingleby Greenhow Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Northumbrian Water supplies the Ingleby Barwick and Cleveland Hills area in south Stockton-on-Tees district, including communities in the Ingleby Greenhow parish of North Yorkshire, from Scaling Dam Reservoir on the North York Moors above Scaling, blended with Tees Valley supply sources, treated at Scaling Dam Water Treatment Works near Scaling on the A171 Whitby road. At 194.5 mg/L (13.6°Clark), the supply is moderately hard, reflecting the transition zone between the soft North York Moors reservoir supply and harder groundwater contributions from the Permian Magnesian Limestone and Triassic Mercia Mudstone of the Tees Valley floor.

Scaling Dam Reservoir is impounded on Scaling Beck on the eastern North York Moors — an upland landscape of Jurassic sedimentary rocks (Ravenscar Group sandstone and shale) and moorland peat, producing naturally moderately soft water. As this moorland supply is distributed down the Cleveland Hills escarpment into the Tees Valley industrial plain at Ingleby Barwick, it blends with harder groundwater and supply from the wider Tees Valley network incorporating Magnesian Limestone aquifer water. The resulting 194.5 mg/L with TDS 549.6 mg/L is characteristic of the Cleveland Hills–Tees Valley transition supply zone.

At 194.5 mg/L, limescale is a consistent household concern in the Ingleby Barwick and Cleveland Hills area. Kettles benefit from descaling monthly to maintain element efficiency. The combi-boiler should be fitted with a scale inhibitor and serviced annually. Washing-up liquid requires more product than in softer areas. Taps and shower heads develop visible white limescale within one to two weeks; a fortnightly wipe with white vinegar keeps fixtures clean. The moderately hard supply reflects the position of this area at the boundary between the soft North York Moors and harder Tees Valley industrial corridor water zones.