Water hardness and tap water in Bad Hersfeld
Landkreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Hessen · Postcode 36251
This page is a translation of the German version; the German page is authoritative. German version · Report a translation error
- Limits of the Drinking Water OrdinancemetAll tested parameters (16), at the waterworks
- Water hardness13.7 °dH, mediumNo legal limit, only a range
- Data coverageCore parameters: 5 of 7Score based on complete data
Verified drinking-water values
Note from the test report (in the German original): Stadtwerke Bad Hersfeld · Prüfbericht des IWW zur Probe vom 24.02.2026 am Ausgang des Wasserwerks Geistal (desinfiziertes Wasser). Die Werte gelten ab Wasserwerk, nicht am Hahn: Blei, Kupfer und Nickel enthält dieser Bericht nicht, sie werden am Hahn gemessen. Welche Ortsteile das Wasserwerk Geistal beliefert, nennt der Bericht nicht; die Stadtwerke geben für ihre neun Ortsteile 12 bis 13 °dH an, der Bericht 13,7 °dH. Der Bericht vermerkt eine Calcitlösekapazität von 13 mg/l bei einer Anforderung von 5 mg/l: Das Wasser ist Calcit lösend. PFAS: alle 20 Einzelstoffe unter der Bestimmungsgrenze 0,001 µg/l.
Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Bad Hersfeld, 58 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 17 % between 1970 and 1979 (Zensus 2022, Statistisches Bundesamt, dl-de/by-2-0). (Zensus 2022) According to the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), lead pipes exist at most in houses built before 1973 – and by no means in all of them. Whether there are any in your house is known to the owner or a plumber. (UBA)
What the values mean for Bad Hersfeld
- Nitrate 10.8 mg/L – about 22 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and in the medium range – such values occur in catchments shaped by agriculture. Boiling does not reduce nitrate.
- PFAS (sum of PFAS-20) – not detectable in the sample evaluated. The limit of 0.1 µg/L (100 ng/L) has applied since 12 January 2026.
- Uranium 0.74 µg/L – unremarkable against a limit of 10 µg/L. In some regions uranium occurs naturally from the rock (geogenic).
- pH 7.35 – within the range of the Drinking Water Ordinance (6.5 to 9.5). The pH determines how corrosive the water is in household plumbing.
Water hardness in Bad Hersfeld in everyday life
At 13.7 °dH, Bad Hersfeld is in the hardness range “medium” (soft: below 8.4 °dH, medium: 8.4–14 °dH, hard: above 14 °dH).
- Dose detergent for the hardness range “medium”.
- As a rule of thumb, descale the kettle about every four to six weeks and the coffee machine as the manufacturer recommends.
- A limescale protection device is not a must at medium hardness; regular descaling is often enough.
Baby food and low sodium: tap water in Bad Hersfeld next to the bottled-water thresholds
Bottled water may only be labelled “suitable for preparing infant food” („geeignet für die Zubereitung von Säuglingsnahrung“) if it keeps to the maximum levels of the German Mineral and Table Water Ordinance (Mineral- und Tafelwasser-Verordnung, Annex 6). Here the published values for Bad Hersfeld are shown next to them, each substance on its own. This is a comparison with labelling thresholds for bottled water, not a statement on whether your tap water is suitable for baby food. (Min/TafelWV, Anlage 6)
For context: the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) considers preparing baby food with bottled water carrying this label necessary only in rare cases, for example when tap water is temporarily allowed to contain more than 50 mg/l nitrate. (UBA 2016, p. 59) Water from lead pipes in the house is always unsuitable for infants. (UBA 2020, p. 16) The values apply at the waterworks.
| Substance | Maximum level | Value in Bad Hersfeld |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 20 mg/l | 14.5 mg/l – not above |
| Nitrate | 10 mg/l | 10.8 mg/l – above the bottled-water threshold |
| Nitrite | 0.02 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.02 mg/l) – not above |
| Sulphate | 240 mg/l | 54.5 mg/l – not above |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/l | 0.16 mg/l – not above |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.005 mg/l) – not above |
| Arsenic | 0.005 mg/l | 0.0019 mg/l – not above |
| Uranium | 0.002 mg/l | 0.00074 mg/l – not above |
Against the other thresholds of Annex 6, the water would qualify as: low in sodium (“suitable for a low-sodium diet”) (Sodium 14.5 mg/l, threshold below 20 mg/l).
Questions about baby food are answered by your midwife, your paediatrician and the health office (Gesundheitsamt).
Frequently asked questions about tap water in Bad Hersfeld
Can you drink the tap water in Bad Hersfeld?
According to the verified values, yes: All tested parameters with a legal limit (16) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). WaterScore: 100 out of 100 (data coverage: 5 of 7 core parameters). This applies to the water from the waterworks – restrictions can only arise from old household plumbing.
How hard is the water in Bad Hersfeld?
The total hardness is 13.7 °dH – hardness range “medium”. Dose detergent for the hardness range “medium”.
Is there PFAS in the tap water in Bad Hersfeld?
Not in measurable amounts: according to the published analysis by Stadtwerke Bad Hersfeld (as of 24 February 2026), PFAS were below the laboratory’s limit of quantification. Since 12 January 2026, a limit of 0.1 µg/l has applied to the sum of PFAS-20.
Do I need to filter my tap water in Bad Hersfeld?
Based on the verified supplier values, a filter is not necessary. It can make sense if you do not like the taste. If you suspect lead pipes in an old building, a filter does not help; a laboratory analysis at the tap does – that is a question of the household plumbing, not of the water leaving the works.
WaterScore
- Total100 / 100
- Chemical safety100 / 100
- Heavy metals100 / 100
- PFAS100 / 100
- Nutrients100 / 100
- General parameters100 / 100
- Data timeliness100 / 100
- Data quality100 / 100
Data coverage: 5 of 7 core parameters. Not in the test report: Lead and Copper. Missing parameters are neither estimated nor counted as harmless: the score is based only on the values available. It is not a health assessment and says nothing about the water beyond the service connection. Methodology v4: how we calculate the WaterScore.
Evidence: cite and check
- Trinkwasseranalyse 2026, Prüfbericht 06318-1 MH26, Wasserwerk Geistal, Trinkwasserausgang, Probe vom 24.02.2026 (Stadtwerke Bad Hersfeld GmbH (Analyse: IWW Analytik und Service GmbH)) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: 606fe82cbeba041b…, checked on 1 November 2026
Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2026): Tap water in Bad Hersfeld. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 24 February 2026; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/bad-hersfeld/
JSON: /api/v1/evidence?city=bad-hersfeld
Data as of: 24 February 2026 · verified: 21 of 21 evaluated parameters.
This page shows only verified test data with sources, or states explicitly where data is missing (no estimated values). Cite as: “Trinkwassermonitor (2026). Tap water in Bad Hersfeld. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/bad-hersfeld/.”