Stuttgart drinks a large share of Lake Constance water, which is taken from a depth of 60 metres, filtered and piped 150 kilometres to the city. Added to it is harder groundwater from the Landeswasserversorgung (state water supply) in the Donauried. The result is soft to medium and very neutral.
Water hardness
11.0 °dHmediumThe normal case in many cities: moderate limescale, good taste, normal detergent dosage. Descale: every 6 to 8 weeks.
Aquaviana’s advice
- Lake Constance water is soft (around 9 °dH), so limescale is a small issue in Stuttgart.
- Districts with Landeswasser from the Donauried are at 14 to 18 °dH; the network operators show your zone by address.
- Suitable for coffee and tea straight from the tap, without a filter.
Where the water comes from
The Bodensee-Wasserversorgung (Lake Constance water supply) draws water at Sipplingen from a depth of 60 metres, filters it through micro-sieves, ozone and sand, and pumps it through 1,700 kilometres of pipelines into large parts of Württemberg. Stuttgart is its biggest customer. It is supplemented by the Landeswasserversorgung (state water supply), which treats groundwater and Danube water in the Donauried. Both waters are distributed zone by zone in the city network and partly blended.
Hardness and taste
Lake Constance water has around 9 °dH (about 160 mg/l CaCO3) and tastes neutral, almost like a light mineral water. Landeswasser from the Donauried is at 14 to 18 °dH. Where the two are blended, 10 to 13 °dH comes out. Nitrate is low, and chlorine is added in barely noticeable amounts to safeguard the network. At 7.6 to 8.0, the pH value is slightly alkaline.
What that means day to day
For a big city, Stuttgart has unusually soft water, ideal for tea, coffee and skin. Descaling every three months is enough in Lake Constance zones. If you live in a Landeswasser zone, you descale more often. The Stuttgart mineral springs, the second largest in Europe after Budapest, are, by the way, not the tap water but medicinal and bathing water from 19 springs.
Try it out
Hardness converterConvert °dH, °fH, °e, mmol/l and ppm into one another and read off the hardness range and descaling interval.Tap water checkEight questions about your home, pipes and region, an assessment with a traffic light and next steps.Share
