Water hardness and tap water in Osnabrück
Osnabrück, Niedersachsen · Postcode 49074, 49076, 49078, 49080, 49082, 49084 …
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 (17), at the waterworks
- Water hardness9.54 °dH, mediumNo 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): Osnabrück wird aus drei getrennten Wasserwerken versorgt (Düstrup, Thiene, Wittefeld); diese Analyse stammt aus dem Versorgungsgebiet Düstrup, Probenahmestelle Rodüstraße, Probenahme 23.04.2026. Die Stadtwerke nennen für das gesamte Stadtgebiet eine Härtespanne von 8,4–14 °dH; der hier gemessene Wert (9,54 °dH) liegt in dieser Spanne, gilt aber primär für den Düstrup-Bereich, nicht zwingend für Thiene/Wittefeld. Die Leitfähigkeit wurde zweimal gemessen: vor Ort 544 µS/cm (hier verwendet) und im Labor nach Probentransport 469 µS/cm. Kupfer (0,725 mg/l) ist deutlich höher als üblich für Rohwasser, aber unterhalb des Grenzwerts von 2,0 mg/l – plausibel durch Kupfer-Hausinstallation an der Entnahmestelle, da es sich um eine Zweckprobe an einer Wohnadresse handelt. Summe PFAS-20 und Summe Trihalogenmethane sind im Bericht als 'nicht berechenbar' ausgewiesen, weil jede der 20 Einzel-PFAS-Substanzen bzw. jede der 4 THM-Einzelsubstanzen unterhalb der jeweiligen Bestimmungsgrenze lag – hier als belowDetection mit der Einzelstoff-Bestimmungsgrenze abgebildet. Der direkte automatisierte Abruf des Quell-PDFs lieferte wiederholt HTTP 464 (Bot-Schutz); der Dokumentinhalt wurde über einen Reader-Proxy abgerufen und stimmte mit einer unabhängigen zweiten Extraktion derselben URL in allen überlappenden Werten exakt überein. Die im Dateinamen genannte Straße 'Zum Himmelreich' weicht von der im Dokument selbst angegebenen Probenahmestelle 'Rodüstraße' ab – vermutlich ein Benennungsfehler auf der Website, der Dokumentinhalt selbst ist über alle 11 Seiten konsistent.
Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Osnabrück, 56 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 12 % 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 Osnabrück
- Nitrate 16 mg/L – about 32 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and in the medium range – such values occur in catchments shaped by agriculture. 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 – not detectable at the waterworks. Lead gets into the water almost only through old lead pipes in household plumbing, not via the supplier.
- Uranium 0.2 µg/L – unremarkable against a limit of 10 µg/L. In some regions uranium occurs naturally from the rock (geogenic).
- pH 7.67 – 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 Osnabrück in everyday life
At 9.54 °dH, Osnabrück 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 Osnabrück 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 Osnabrück 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 Osnabrück |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 20 mg/l | 24.6 mg/l – above |
| Nitrate | 10 mg/l | 16 mg/l – above |
| Nitrite | 0.02 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.01 mg/l) – not above |
| Sulphate | 240 mg/l | 51 mg/l – not above |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.05 mg/l) – not above |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.001 mg/l) – not above |
| Arsenic | 0.005 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.001 mg/l) – not above |
| Uranium | 0.002 mg/l | 0.0002 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 Osnabrück
Can you drink the tap water in Osnabrück?
According to the verified values, yes: All tested parameters with a legal limit (17) 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 Osnabrück?
The total hardness is 9.54 °dH – hardness range “medium”. Dose detergent for the hardness range “medium”.
Is there PFAS in the tap water in Osnabrück?
Not in measurable amounts: according to the published analysis by Stadtwerke Osnabrück (as of 23 April 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 Osnabrück?
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
- Trinkwasseranalyse Wasserwerk Düstrup, Rodüstraße – Erweiterte Probe (Prüfbericht Nr. AR-26-DY-008888-01) (Stadtwerke Osnabrück AG (Prüflabor: Eurofins Umwelt Nord GmbH, Osnabrück))
Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2026): Tap water in Osnabrück. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 23 April 2026; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/osnabrueck/
JSON: /api/v1/evidence?city=osnabrueck
Data as of: 23 April 2026 · verified: 26 of 26 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 Osnabrück. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/osnabrueck/.”