Water hardness and tap water in Mannheim

Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg · Postcode 68159, 68161, 68165, 68169, 68199, 68219 …

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): MVV Netze · akkreditierter Prüfbericht zur Probenahme am Wasserwerk Rheinau (08.06.2026). Rheinau ist eines von drei MVV-Wasserwerken (Rheinau, Käfertal, Schwetzinger Hardt); der Wert für Ihre Adresse hängt vom zuständigen Werk ab. Gesamthärte 20,3 °dH – Härtebereich hart. Die Summe PFAS-4 liegt mit 0,016 µg/l nahe am ab 12.01.2028 geltenden Grenzwert von 0,020 µg/l (Summe PFAS-20: 0,028 µg/l, Grenzwert 0,10 µg/l).

Is a value wrong or out of date?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

Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Mannheim, 61 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 9 % 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 Mannheim

• Nitrate 22 mg/L – about 44 % 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.
• PFAS (sum of PFAS-20) 28 ng/L – about 28 % of the limit of 100 ng/L (since 12 January 2026).
• 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 1 µg/L – unremarkable against a limit of 10 µg/L. In some regions uranium occurs naturally from the rock (geogenic).
• 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 Mannheim in everyday life

At 20.3 °dH, Mannheim 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 Mannheim 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 Mannheim 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. Questions about baby food are answered by your midwife, your paediatrician and the health office (Gesundheitsamt).

Frequently asked questions about tap water in Mannheim

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

• Untersuchung von Trinkwasser, Parameter Typ B – Wasserwerk Rheinau, Mannheim, Probenahme 08.06.2026 (MVV Netze GmbH (Labor, DAkkS-akkreditiert)) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: e77bfd05a7f7230e…, checked on 3 October 2026

Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2026): Tap water in Mannheim. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 8 June 2026; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/mannheim/

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

Data as of: 8 June 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 Mannheim. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/mannheim/.”

Further information

• German version: Trinkwasser in Mannheim
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