Water hardness and tap water in Ravensburg

Name: Water hardness and tap water in Ravensburg
Creator: Trinkwassermonitor
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Landkreis Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg · Postcode 88212, 88213, 88214

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

Short answer: The tap water in Ravensburg has a total hardness of 17.8 °dH, hardness range “hard” (as of 29 July 2025). All tested parameters with a legal limit (5) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). Source: test report by TWS. WaterScore (provisional): 98.4 out of 100 – the test report contains only 1 of 7 core parameters.

Limits of the Drinking Water OrdinancemetAll tested parameters (5), at the waterworks
Water hardness17.8 °dH, hardNo legal limit, only a range
Data coverageCore parameters: 1 of 7Score provisional

Verified drinking-water values

Parameter	Value	Limit (TrinkwV)	Sampling date	Source	Status
Nitrate	26 mg/L 52 % of the limit	50 mg/L	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Chloride	14.5 mg/L	250 mg/L	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Sulphate	13.4 mg/L	250 mg/L	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Sodium	8.3 mg/L	200 mg/L	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Calcium	94.2 mg/L	–	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Magnesium	20.2 mg/L	–	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
pH	7.52	6.5–9.5	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Total hardness	17.8 °dH (hard)	no legal limit	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified
Electrical conductivity	629 µS/cm	–	29 July 2025	Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)	verified

Note from the test report (in the German original): Die TWS-Jahresanalyse weist Ravensburg in vier getrennten Versorgungsräumen aus (RV Nord- & Oststadt; RV West-, Süd- & Kernstadt; RV Eschach, Weißenau; RV Gornhofen, Fildenmoos) plus zwei weiteren für das benachbarte Weingarten. Diese Werte stammen aus der Spalte 'RV West-, Süd- & Kernstadt', da sie explizit die Kernstadt umfasst. Andere Ravensburger Zonen weichen teils deutlich ab (z. B. Härtegrad bis 21,3 °dH, Leitfähigkeit bis 856 µS/cm). Berichtsstand: 29.07.2025 (Jahresmittelwerte). Eisen, Mangan, Nitrit und Fluorid sind für die Kernstadt-Spalte nur als '<BG' ohne genannten Zahlenwert ausgewiesen und wurden daher ausgelassen. Das Dokument enthält ausschließlich chemisch-physikalische Basisparameter – keine Angaben zu Blei, Kupfer, Quecksilber, Arsen, Uran, Mikrobiologie, Trihalomethanen oder PFAS. Ein von Drittanbieter-Webseiten genannter Uran-Wert wurde bewusst nicht übernommen, da nicht aus einem offiziellen TWS-Dokument stammend.

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 Ravensburg, 49 % of buildings with living space were built before 1970, and a further 13 % 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 Ravensburg

Nitrate 26 mg/L – about 52 % 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.
pH 7.52 – 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 Ravensburg in everyday life

At 17.8 °dH, Ravensburg 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 Ravensburg 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 Ravensburg 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 Ravensburg
Sodium	20 mg/l	8.3 mg/l – not above
Nitrate	10 mg/l	26 mg/l – above
Nitrite	0.02 mg/l	not in the report
Sulphate	240 mg/l	13.4 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	not in the report
Uranium	0.002 mg/l	not in the report

Against the other thresholds of Annex 6, the water would qualify as: low in sodium (“suitable for a low-sodium diet”) (Sodium 8.3 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 Ravensburg

Can you drink the tap water in Ravensburg?

According to the verified values, yes: All tested parameters with a legal limit (5) meet the limits set by the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). WaterScore (provisional): 98.4 out of 100 – the test report contains only 1 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 Ravensburg?

The total hardness is 17.8 °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 Ravensburg?

The published analysis by TWS 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 Ravensburg?

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 Ravensburg a concern?

The value of 26 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

Total (provisional)98.4 / 100
Chemical safety98.4 / 100
Nutrients98.4 / 100
General parameters100 / 100
Data timeliness95.4 / 100
Data quality100 / 100

Data coverage: 1 of 7 core parameters. Not in the test report: Nitrite, Lead, Copper, Arsenic, Uranium and PFAS (sum). Missing parameters are neither estimated nor counted as harmless: the score is based only on the values available and is therefore provisional. 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

Chemisch-physikalische Beschaffenheit von tws Wasser in Ravensburg und Weingarten (Technische Werke Schussental GmbH & Co. KG (TWS)) · SHA-256 of the evaluated file: e6072f9d7b3261b6…, checked on 3 October 2026

Suggested citation: Trinkwassermonitor (2025): Tap water in Ravensburg. Values according to the water supplier’s test report, sampling date 29 July 2025; at the waterworks, not household plumbing. https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/ravensburg/

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

Data as of: 29 July 2025 · verified: 9 of 9 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 Ravensburg. Retrieved from https://trinkwassermonitor.ink/en/tap-water/ravensburg/.”