Water hardness and tap water in Plauen
Vogtlandkreis, Sachsen · Postcode 08523, 08525, 08527, 08529
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 (16), at the waterworks
- Water hardness4.7 °dH, softNo legal limit, only a range
- Data coverageCore parameters: 6 of 7Score based on complete data
Verified drinking-water values
Note from the test report (in the German original): Prüfbericht des ZWAV für das Versorgungsgebiet GWV Plauen Zone 1874, in dem laut Wasserportal die Stadtmitte liegt; Probenahme 01.09.2025. Gesamthärte 4,7 °dH – Härtebereich weich. Weitere Versorgungsgebiete im Umkreis von rund 2 km um die Stadtmitte laut Wasserportal (teils Nachbarorte): GWV Plauen/Neuensalz/Bergen/Trieb/Schönau (2,9 °dH, Nitrat 3,1 mg/l, Probenahme 07.04.2026); GWV Plauen/Weischlitz/Triebel/Oelsnitz/Rosenbach (6,9 °dH, Nitrat 9,9 mg/l, Probenahme 22.06.2026) – alle im selben Härtebereich. Welches Gebiet Ihre Adresse versorgt, zeigt das Wasserportal des ZWAV. PFAS weist der Prüfbericht nicht aus.
Background on household plumbing, not a measurement: in Plauen, 60 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 7 % 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 Plauen
- Nitrate 3.8 mg/L – about 8 % of the limit of 50 mg/L and in the unremarkable range. Boiling does not reduce nitrate.
- Lead 2 µg/L – about 20 % 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 0.1 µg/L – unremarkable against a limit of 10 µg/L. In some regions uranium occurs naturally from the rock (geogenic).
- pH 8.2 – 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 Plauen in everyday life
At 4.7 °dH, Plauen is in the hardness range “soft” (soft: below 8.4 °dH, medium: 8.4–14 °dH, hard: above 14 °dH).
- Dose detergent for the hardness range “soft” – the lowest amount on the pack.
- Limescale deposits are rare; kettles and coffee machines only need descaling every few months.
- At this hardness you do not need limescale protection or a water softener.
Baby food and low sodium: tap water in Plauen 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 Plauen 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 Plauen |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 20 mg/l | 9.57 mg/l – not above |
| Nitrate | 10 mg/l | 3.8 mg/l – not above |
| Nitrite | 0.02 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.01 mg/l) – not above |
| Sulphate | 240 mg/l | 12 mg/l – not above |
| Fluoride | 0.7 mg/l | 0.12 mg/l – not above |
| Manganese | 0.05 mg/l | 0.013 mg/l – not above |
| Arsenic | 0.005 mg/l | below the detection limit (0.001 mg/l) – not above |
| Uranium | 0.002 mg/l | 0.0001 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 9.57 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 Plauen
Can you drink the tap water in Plauen?
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.
How hard is the water in Plauen?
The total hardness is 4.7 °dH – hardness range “soft”. Dose detergent for the hardness range “soft” – the lowest amount on the pack.
Is there PFAS in the tap water in Plauen?
The published analysis by Zweckverband Wasser und Abwasser Vogtland (ZWAV) 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 Plauen?
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
- Total99.5 / 100
- Chemical safety100 / 100
- Heavy metals100 / 100
- Nutrients100 / 100
- General parameters100 / 100
- Data timeliness97.3 / 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
- Prüfbericht Trinkwasser – GWV Plauen Zone 1874, Probenahme 01.09.2025 (Zweckverband Wasser und Abwasser Vogtland (über das BDEW-Wasserportal wasserqualitaet-online.de)) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: f003056a522ffa00…, checked on 3 October 2026
Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2025): Tap water in Plauen. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 1 September 2025; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/plauen/
JSON: /api/v1/evidence?city=plauen
Data as of: 1 September 2025 · verified: 21 of 21 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 Plauen. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/plauen/.”