Water hardness and tap water in Eltville am Rhein
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Hessen · Postcode 65343, 65344, 65345, 65346, 65347
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 (79), at the waterworks
- Water hardness17 °dH, hardNo legal limit, only a range
- Data coverageCore parameters: 6 of 7Score based on complete data
Verified drinking-water values: water “Versorgungsgebiet WVG Eltville”
Note from the test report (in the German original): Rheingauwasser GmbH · Trinkwasseranalyse für das Versorgungsgebiet WVG Eltville, Probe vom 03.09.2025, veröffentlicht im GW-Manager-Öffentlichkeitsportal (verlinkt im BDEW-Wasserportal), untersucht von Aqua Service Schwerin. Die Werte sind unverändert aus der Datenschnittstelle des Portals übernommen. Die Ortsteile bekommen sehr verschiedenes Wasser, deshalb stehen sie einzeln daneben: Martinsthal etwa 5,62 °dH, Eltville-Kern im Stadtgebiet 18,2 °dH (beide Stand 2024). Rheingauwasser mischt Eigenförderung und Fremdwasser, die Härte schwankt je nach Mischung. Welches Wasser an einer Adresse ankommt, sagt verbindlich der Versorger.
Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Eltville am Rhein, 46 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 16 % 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 Eltville am Rhein
- Nitrate 6.32 mg/L – about 13 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and in the unremarkable range. Boiling does not reduce nitrate.
- Lead – not detectable at the waterworks. Lead gets into the water almost only through old lead pipes in household plumbing, not via the supplier.
- Uranium 0.8 µg/L – unremarkable against a limit of 10 µg/L. In some regions uranium occurs naturally from the rock (geogenic).
- pH 7.78 – 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 Eltville am Rhein in everyday life
At 17 °dH, Eltville am Rhein is in the hardness range “hard” (soft: below 8.4 °dH, medium: 8.4–14 °dH, hard: above 14 °dH).
- Dose detergent for the hardness range “hard” – a larger amount is needed; a water softener for the washing machine can save detergent.
- Limescale builds up quickly: descale the kettle about every two to three weeks, and taps and shower heads too.
- In your own house, limescale protection or a water softener can be worthwhile at this hardness; in a rented flat, the owner decides.
Baby food and low sodium: tap water in Eltville am Rhein 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 Eltville am Rhein 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 Eltville am Rhein |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 20 mg/l | 37.7 mg/l – above the bottled-water threshold |
| Nitrate | 10 mg/l | 6.32 mg/l – not above |
| Nitrite | 0.02 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.01 mg/l) – not above |
| Sulphate | 240 mg/l | 58.7 mg/l – not above |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/l | 0.1 mg/l – not above |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.005 mg/l) – not above |
| Arsenic | 0.005 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.002 mg/l) – not above |
| Uranium | 0.002 mg/l | 0.0008 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 Eltville am Rhein
Can you drink the tap water in Eltville am Rhein?
According to the verified values, yes: All tested parameters with a legal limit (79) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). WaterScore: 99.4 out of 100 (data coverage: 6 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 Eltville am Rhein?
It depends on the address: Versorgungsgebiet WVG Eltville 17 °dH, Eltville-Kern, Obersetzling/Wiesweg 18.7 °dH, Erbach oberhalb der Bahnlinie 18.9 °dH, Erbach unterhalb der Bahnlinie 18.2 °dH, Hattenheim 15.3 °dH, Martinsthal 5.62 °dH and Rauenthal 10.4 °dH. The waters are in different hardness ranges (“hard”, “soft” and “medium”); detergent and descaler should follow the water at your address.
Is there PFAS in the tap water in Eltville am Rhein?
The published analysis by Rheingauwasser GmbH that we evaluated gives no PFAS value. This does not mean there is no PFAS in the water; there is simply no figure for it. Since 12 January 2026, a limit of 0.1 µg/l has applied to the sum of PFAS-20. The supplier can tell you whether PFAS was measured and with what result. For the other waters, the analyses give no PFAS value.
Do I need to filter my tap water in Eltville am Rhein?
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
- Total99.4 / 100
- Chemical safety100 / 100
- Heavy metals100 / 100
- Nutrients100 / 100
- General parameters100 / 100
- Data timeliness96.7 / 100
- Data quality100 / 100
Data coverage: 6 of 7 core parameters. Not in the test report: PFAS (sum). 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 Versorgungsgebiet WVG Eltville, Probe vom 03.09.2025 (Rheingauwasser GmbH (veröffentlicht im GW-Manager-Öffentlichkeitsportal))
Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2025): Tap water in Eltville am Rhein. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 3 September 2025; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/eltville-am-rhein/
JSON: /api/v1/evidence?city=eltville-am-rhein
Data as of: 3 September 2025 · verified: 24 of 24 evaluated parameters. (older than twelve months – under § 46 TrinkwV your supplier must publish current values online)
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 Eltville am Rhein. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/eltville-am-rhein/.”