South Staffordshire Water's supply to the part of Lichfield it serves (99.5% of its postcodes) runs 167.4–280.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, varying by supply zone, which spans DWI's Moderately hard to Hard bands, per South Staffordshire Water — supply-zone water quality reports (31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026).
Source: South Staffordshire Water — supply-zone water quality reports — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) enforces the UK drinking water quality regulations in England and Wales. Figures it classifies or regulates on this page cover England and Wales only.
Who supplies Lichfield
South Staffordshire Water's supply area (99.5% of the 3,098 live postcodes in Lichfield): 3083 postcodes
Source: ONS Postcode Directory (May 2026), each postcode placed in the water companies' supply-area boundaries — read 26 September 2026Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0Water company boundaries © Water UK, licensed under CC BY 4.0
Not placed in any regional water company's supply area (0.4% of the 3,098 live postcodes in Lichfield): 15 postcodes
Source: ONS Postcode Directory (May 2026), each postcode placed in the water companies' supply-area boundaries — read 26 September 2026Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0Water company boundaries © Water UK, licensed under CC BY 4.0
Which one applies to you
Lichfield's supply varies by supply zone, and South Staffordshire Water publishes a figure for each.
Barr Beacon North: 167.4 mg/L as CaCO₃, Moderately hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Barr Beacon North supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Barr Beacon South East: 223 mg/L as CaCO₃, Hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Barr Beacon South East supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Burton 1: 200.8 mg/L as CaCO₃, Hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Burton 1 supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Cannock High 2: 202.1 mg/L as CaCO₃, Hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Cannock High 2 supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Glascote West: 211.4 mg/L as CaCO₃, Hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Glascote West supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Hopwas: 255.8 mg/L as CaCO₃, Hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Hopwas supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Rugeley Cannock Low: 186.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, Moderately hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Rugeley Cannock Low supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Winshill: 280.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, Hard on DWI's scale
South Staffs Water's published average for the Winshill supply zone, 2025
Source: South Staffs Water — Water quality report 2025/26, published 8 July 2026 — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026
Lichfield’s hardness, in every unit used here
| Unit | This supply |
|---|---|
| mg/L as CaCO₃ | 167.4–280.5 mg/L as CaCO₃ |
| °Clark | 11.7–19.7 °Clark |
This supply runs 167.4–280.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, varying by supply zone. That spans DWI’s Moderately hard (150–200) to Hard (200–300) bands, so no single band describes it.
Do you need a water softener here, and what does it cost?
At 280.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, this site holds no costed answer for the United Kingdom yet, and will not estimate one.
- No figure has been published here for how much salt and drain water one regeneration uses in the United Kingdom, and nobody has sourced one, so no running-cost figure is published.
- The equipment index holds no entry for amazon.co.uk, the storefront registered for the United Kingdom.
Where this number comes from
167.4–280.5 mg/L as CaCO₃, supplied by South Staffordshire Water.
Source: South Staffordshire Water — supply-zone water quality reports — dated 31 December 2025, read 20 September 2026