Tap water in Gießen

Name: Tap water in Gießen
Creator: Trinkwassermonitor
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Landkreis Gießen, Hessen · Postcode 35390, 35392, 35394, 35396, 35398

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

Short answer: For Gießen, verified values from the water supplier’s test report: 20 (as of 15 September 2025). All tested parameters with a legal limit (16) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). Source: test report by Stadtwerke Gießen. WaterScore: 99.5 out of 100 (data coverage: 6 of 7 core parameters).

Limits of the Drinking Water OrdinancemetAll tested parameters (16), at the waterworks
Data coverageCore parameters: 6 of 7Score based on complete data

Verified drinking-water values

Parameter	Value	Limit (TrinkwV)	Sampling date	Source	Status
Nitrate	25.7 mg/L 51 % of the limit	50 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Nitrite	< 0.04 mg/L	0.5 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Lead	< 0.003 mg/L	0.01 mg/L from 12 January 2028: 0.005 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Arsenic	< 0.003 mg/L	0.01 mg/L new plants from 2028, all from 2036: 0.004 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Uranium	< 0.0001 mg/L	0.01 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Mercury	< 0.0001 mg/L	0.001 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Copper	< 0.01 mg/L	2 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Chloride	17.6 mg/L	250 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Sulphate	5.89 mg/L	250 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Sodium	5.75 mg/L	200 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Calcium	35.3 mg/L	–	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Magnesium	15 mg/L	–	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
pH	8.15	6.5–9.5	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Electrical conductivity	343 µS/cm	–	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Fluoride	< 0.2 mg/L	1.5 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Iron	0.02 mg/L 10 % of the limit	0.2 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Manganese	< 0.005 mg/L	0.05 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Ammonium	< 0.07 mg/L	0.5 mg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Coliform bacteria	0 KBE/100ml	0 per 100 ml	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified
Trihalomethanes (THM)	< 5 µg/L	50 µg/L	15 September 2025	Stadtwerke Gießen AG	verified

Note from the test report (in the German original): Dieser Prüfbericht deckt nur den Entnahmepunkt Wasserwerk Queckborn Ausgang ab (Probe vom 15.09.2025), analysiert vom Institut für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin der Universitätsklinik Gießen. Queckborn ist die Hauptquelle für Gießen (10 Brunnen), aber manche Gießener Anschlüsse erhalten zusätzlich Mischwasser aus einem weiteren SWG-Brunnen an der B49 sowie vom Zweckverband Mittelhessische Wasserwerke – für diese Adressen können einzelne Werte (insbesondere die Härte) abweichen. Eine numerische Gesamthärte in °dH ist in diesem aktuellen Laborbericht nicht enthalten; eine ältere, nicht mehr aktuelle SWG-Verbraucherseite (Stand 2007) nennt nur grobe Kategorien (Queckborn ca. 8,4–14 °dH/'mittel', ZMW-Wasser bis 8,4 °dH/'weich') – da das keine aktuelle Messung aus diesem Bericht ist, wurde 'haerte' hier bewusst ausgelassen statt einen veralteten Wert einzusetzen. PFAS-Parameter sind in diesem Prüfbericht nicht enthalten.

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 Gießen, 60 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 10 % 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 Gießen

Nitrate 25.7 mg/L – about 51 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and comparatively high for a city waterworks; the cause is usually nitrate from agriculture entering the raw water. 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 – not detectable at the waterworks (limit 10 µg/L).
pH 8.15 – within the range of the Drinking Water Ordinance (6.5 to 9.5). The pH determines how corrosive the water is in household plumbing.

Baby food and low sodium: tap water in Gießen 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 Gießen 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)

Values at the waterworks next to the maximum levels for bottled water “suitable for infant food”
Substance	Maximum level	Value in Gießen
Sodium	20 mg/l	5.75 mg/l – not above
Nitrate	10 mg/l	25.7 mg/l – above
Nitrite	0.02 mg/l	below the detection limit (0.04 mg/l) – cannot be assessed
Sulphate	240 mg/l	5.89 mg/l – not above
Fluoride	0.7 mg/l	below the detection limit (0.2 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 (0.003 mg/l) – not above
Uranium	0.002 mg/l	below the detection limit (0.0001 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 5.75 mg/l, threshold below 20 mg/l).

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

Frequently asked questions about tap water in Gießen

Can you drink the tap water in Gießen?

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: 99.5 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.

Is there PFAS in the tap water in Gießen?

The published analysis by Stadtwerke Gießen 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.

Do I need to filter my tap water in Gießen?

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.

Is the nitrate level in Gießen a concern?

The value of 25.7 mg/L is below the limit of 50 mg/L, but higher than in many other evaluated cities. The limit of the Drinking Water Ordinance also applies to preparing baby food; mineral water labelled “suitable for preparing infant food” („geeignet für die Zubereitung von Säuglingsnahrung“) may contain at most 10 mg/L nitrate. Boiling does not help against nitrate.

WaterScore

Total99.5 / 100
Chemical safety99.2 / 100
Heavy metals100 / 100
Nutrients99.1 / 100
General parameters100 / 100
Data timeliness98 / 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 v3: how we calculate the WaterScore.

Evidence: cite and check

Physikalisch-chemische Beschaffenheit des von den Stadtwerken Gießen AG verteilten Trinkwassers – Prüfbericht (Wasserwerk Queckborn Ausgang) (Stadtwerke Gießen AG) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: 5a33f90902866e3b…, checked on 3 October 2026

Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2025): Tap water in Gießen. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 15 September 2025; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/giessen/

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

Data as of: 15 September 2025 · verified: 20 of 20 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 Gießen. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/giessen/.”