Hard
Water Regions in the UK
By
knowing the recent history of your water and the length of time
it has been in contact with soil and rock, it is possible to predict
its quality. In the Lake District and most areas of Scotland,
the water is soft because it is mainly drawn out of surface water
and the contact time between water and earth is short. Additionally,
there is not much chalk in the soil to be dissolved. In the South
East of England, there is a lot of chalk and much of the water
is pumped from underground where there has been a longer contact
time, hence, the water is hard. The
quality of water in the British Isles is normally good, but it
must be remembered that the only statutory obligation on the Water
Authorities is to supply water fit for potable (drinking) use.
This puts no obligation on water authorities to be concerned in
any way about the hardness of the water. Hard water can be potentially
corrosive and damaging to domestic appliances, pipework and central
heating boilers.As the map indicates, the water in the central,
eastern and southern areas of England is hardest.
