In Bosham, the mains water supply is hard. Here’s why.

Like so much of West Sussex and elsewhere throughout the south-east – especially in coastal regions – living with hard water is a way of life. Don’t blame it on the rain – rainwater is naturally soft. The problem lies with the soil beneath our feet.

Bosham sits on predominantly chalky soil. This contains an abundance of calcium and magnesium minerals. Whenever rainfall reaches the soil, these calcium and magnesium components get to work to change the water from soft to hard. That’s nature for you!

For homeowners in Bosham who aren’t overly impressed with constant hard water, the sensible decision is to arrange to have a water softener installed. The benefits will be immediate! Take your skin and hair – they adore soft water! Softened water ensures they remain naturally shiny and vibrant looking. And your laundry will also feel much softer to the touch if you have soft water flowing the pipework.

Hard water is also the chief cause of limescale – a nightmare around the home. The great news is that water softeners are brilliant at stopping the build-up of scale. They prevent it from accumulating in household appliances, like dishwashers, kettles and washing machines. Each works way better if softened water is present. Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms is also much more straightforward – less elbow grease and less cost – because surfaces stay shiny for longer and use up less detergents in the process. Crucially, your hard-earned money also goes much further with soft water coursing through your boiler; it doesn’t collect any scale, which means it remains far more energy efficient. That’s welcome news in times of rampant energy bills! Plus, hard water alarmingly downgrades heating system performance. And boilers are fearfully expensive to repair or replace!

Bosham registers 283 parts per million (ppm) on the water hardness scale. Any reading above 200ppm is considered, meaning Bosham is right up there in terms of water hardness levels.

Bosham – an Overview

Annual rainfall: 24.80inch or 630mm.

Bosham is a charming coastal village in West Sussex, about 2 miles west of Chichester. It forms a broad peninsula projecting into Chichester Harbour and has its own harbour and inlet. At spring tides, the sea floods the lower rural road and a number of car parking spaces.
In the 2011 census, the village had a population of 4,256. Bosham not only includes the site of the original village centre on the harbour but also the farmland and private property of Bosham Hoe.

Bosham Sailing Club, founded in 1907, is the oldest sailing club in Chichester Harbour. Legend has it that King Canute had a palace in Bosham, on the site of the Manor House, from where he commanded the waves to “go back”.