Water hardness and tap water in Burgdorf

Name: Water hardness and tap water in Burgdorf
Creator: Trinkwassermonitor
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Region Hannover, Niedersachsen · Postcode 31303

This page is a translation of the German version; the German page is authoritative. German version · Report a translation error

Short answer: The tap water in Burgdorf has a total hardness of 10.7 °dH, hardness range “medium” (as of 23 March 2026). All tested parameters with a legal limit (14) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). Source: test report by Stadtwerke Burgdorf. WaterScore: 99.6 out of 100 (data coverage: 4 of 7 core parameters).

Limits of the Drinking Water OrdinancemetAll tested parameters (14), at the waterworks
Water hardness10.7 °dH, mediumNo legal limit, only a range
Data coverageCore parameters: 4 of 7Score based on complete data

Verified drinking-water values

Parameter	Value	Limit (TrinkwV)	Sampling date	Source	Status
Nitrate	4.2 mg/L	50 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Nitrite	< 0.01 mg/L	0.5 mg/L at the waterworks outlet: 0.1 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
PFAS (sum)	0.009 µg/L	0.1 µg/L in force since 12 January 2026 from 12 January 2028: additionally PFAS-4 0.02 µg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Uranium	< 0.0001 mg/L	0.01 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Mercury	< 0.0001 mg/L	0.001 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Chromium	< 0.0005 mg/L	0.025 mg/L from 12 January 2030: 0.005 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Chloride	57.4 mg/L 23 % of the limit	250 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Sulphate	140 mg/L 56 % of the limit	250 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Sodium	37 mg/L 19 % of the limit	200 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Calcium	57.3 mg/L	–	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Magnesium	11.6 mg/L	–	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
pH	7.82	6.5–9.5	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Total hardness	10.7 °dH (medium)	no legal limit	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Electrical conductivity	613 µS/cm	–	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Fluoride	0.1 mg/L	1.5 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Iron	< 0.01 mg/L	0.2 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Manganese	< 0.001 mg/L	0.05 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Ammonium	< 0.04 mg/L	0.5 mg/L	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified
Coliform bacteria	0 KBE/100ml	0 per 100 ml	23 March 2026	Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH	verified

Note from the test report (in the German original): Analyse vom 23.03.2026; das Blatt nennt die Probenstelle nicht. Der größte Teil des Wassers kommt laut Stadtwerken aus dem eigenen Wasserwerk. Ein Teil, unter anderem in Stoßzeiten, wird von den Harzwasserwerken zugekauft und eingespeist. Deren Wasser ist laut Reinwasseranalyse 2025 des Wasserwerks Ramlingen deutlich weicher (6,1 °dH, Nitrat 2,1 mg/l), die Stadtwerke nennen nicht, wo es ankommt. Blei, Kupfer, Arsen, Cadmium und Nickel stehen nicht in der Analyse. PFAS-20 und PFAS-4 sind in der Tabelle ohne Einheit gedruckt, wir lesen sie wie den Grenzwert in mg/l. Natronlauge wird als Aufbereitungsstoff genannt.

Is a value wrong or out of date? Report an error – we check every report against the original source.

Water at your own tap: The values describe the water the supplier delivers – not automatically the water at your tap. The water supplier is responsible up to the service connection (Hausanschluss); the building owner is responsible for the pipes beyond it. Lead can dissolve from lead pipes, leaded solder joints or old brass fittings, especially when water has stood in the pipes for a long time (stagnant water); this mainly affects buildings constructed before about 1973. If water has stood in the pipes for several hours, let it run until it comes out cool. If you suspect lead pipes, a lead analysis of the stagnant water by an accredited laboratory will help.

Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Burgdorf, 41 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 19 % 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 Burgdorf

Nitrate 4.2 mg/L – about 8 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and in the unremarkable range. Boiling does not reduce nitrate.
PFAS (sum of PFAS-20) 9 ng/L – about 9 % of the limit of 100 ng/L (since 12 January 2026).
Uranium – not detectable at the waterworks (limit 10 µg/L).
pH 7.82 – 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 Burgdorf in everyday life

At 10.7 °dH, Burgdorf 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 Burgdorf 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 Burgdorf 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.

Values at the waterworks next to the maximum levels for bottled water “suitable for infant food”
Substance	Maximum level	Value in Burgdorf
Sodium	20 mg/l	37 mg/l – above the bottled-water threshold
Nitrate	10 mg/l	4.2 mg/l – not above
Nitrite	0.02 mg/l	below the detection limit (0.01 mg/l) – not above
Sulphate	240 mg/l	140 mg/l – not above
Fluoride	0.7 mg/l	0.1 mg/l – not above
Manganese	0.05 mg/l	below the detection limit (0.001 mg/l) – not above
Arsenic	0.005 mg/l	not in the report
Uranium	0.002 mg/l	below the detection limit (0.0001 mg/l) – not above

Questions about baby food are answered by your midwife, your paediatrician and the health office (Gesundheitsamt).

Frequently asked questions about tap water in Burgdorf

Can you drink the tap water in Burgdorf?

According to the verified values, yes: All tested parameters with a legal limit (14) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). WaterScore: 99.6 out of 100 (data coverage: 4 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 Burgdorf?

The total hardness is 10.7 °dH – hardness range “medium”. Dose detergent for the hardness range “medium”.

Is there PFAS in the tap water in Burgdorf?

Yes, in measurable amounts: according to the published analysis by Stadtwerke Burgdorf (as of 23 March 2026), the sum of PFAS-20 is 0.009 µg/l – that is 9 % of the limit of 0.1 µg/l, which has applied since 12 January 2026. Even this sum of all 20 substances is below the limit of 0.02 µg/l that applies from 12 January 2028 to the sum of four of them (PFAS-4).

Do I need to filter my tap water in Burgdorf?

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

Total99.6 / 100
Chemical safety100 / 100
Heavy metals100 / 100
PFAS100 / 100
Nutrients100 / 100
General parameters96.4 / 100
Data timeliness100 / 100
Data quality100 / 100

Data coverage: 4 of 7 core parameters. Not in the test report: Lead, Copper and Arsenic. 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 Burgdorf, Analyse vom 23.03.2026 (Stadtwerke Burgdorf GmbH) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: 171e0c04ddf96710…, checked on 1 November 2026

Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2026): Tap water in Burgdorf. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 23 March 2026; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/burgdorf/

JSON: /api/v1/evidence?city=burgdorf

Data as of: 23 March 2026 · verified: 19 of 19 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 Burgdorf. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/burgdorf/.”