Water hardness and tap water in Greifswald
Landkreis Vorpommern-Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern · Postcode 17489, 17491, 17493, 17495
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 (15), at the waterworks
- Water hardness20.3 °dH, hardNo legal limit, only a range
- Data coverageCore parameters: 7 of 7Score based on complete data
Verified drinking-water values
Note from the test report (in the German original): Stadtwerke Greifswald · akkreditierter Prüfbericht zur Probenahme am Wasserwerk Schönwalde (04.03.2026). Laut Härte-Übersicht der Stadtwerke liegt das Netz Greifswald insgesamt bei rund 21,7 °dH; diese Einzelmessung zeigt 20,3 °dH – beide im Härtebereich hart. Weitere Werke im Versorgungsgebiet (Netz Gützkow, Netz Riems) liegen mit 24,6–27,1 °dH noch höher. Blei ist mit 0,0015 mg/l quantifiziert (15 % des Grenzwerts von 0,01 mg/l) statt unter der Bestimmungsgrenze – der Grenzwert wird sicher eingehalten.
Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Greifswald, 35 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 11 % 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 Greifswald
- Nitrate 0.99 mg/L – about 2 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and in the unremarkable range. 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.
- Lead 1.5 µg/L – about 15 % of the limit of 10 µg/L, measured at the waterworks. Today’s limit is met; it will drop to 5 µg/L on 12 January 2028. Lead from household plumbing (old lead pipes) comes on top of this and is not covered by this value.
- Uranium – not detectable at the waterworks (limit 10 µg/L).
- pH 7.32 – 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 Greifswald in everyday life
At 20.3 °dH, Greifswald 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 Greifswald 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 Greifswald 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)
| Substance | Maximum level | Value in Greifswald |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 20 mg/l | 20.1 mg/l – above |
| Nitrate | 10 mg/l | 0.99 mg/l – not above |
| Nitrite | 0.02 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.016 mg/l) – not above |
| Sulphate | 240 mg/l | 118 mg/l – not above |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/l | not in the report |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/l | not in the report |
| Arsenic | 0.005 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.001 mg/l) – not above |
| Uranium | 0.002 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.0005 mg/l) – not above |
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 Greifswald
Can you drink the tap water in Greifswald?
According to the verified values, yes: All tested parameters with a legal limit (15) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). WaterScore: 100 out of 100 (data coverage: 7 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 Greifswald?
The total hardness is 20.3 °dH – hardness range “hard”. Dose detergent for the hardness range “hard” – a larger amount is needed; a water softener for the washing machine can save detergent.
Is there PFAS in the tap water in Greifswald?
Not in measurable amounts: according to the published analysis by Stadtwerke Greifswald (as of 4 March 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 Greifswald?
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: 7 of 7 core parameters. 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
- Prüfbericht 26-0872-001 – Wasserwerk Schönwalde, Probenahme 04.03.2026 (Stadtwerke Greifswald GmbH (Prüfbericht IUL Vorpommern GmbH, DAkkS-akkreditiert)) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: 47ffebbeb20a86d9…, checked on 3 October 2026
Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2026): Tap water in Greifswald. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 4 March 2026; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/greifswald/
JSON: /api/v1/evidence?city=greifswald
Data as of: 4 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 Greifswald. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/greifswald/.”