Why is the water in Cosham so hard?

Like everywhere else in Hampshire and the rest of the south-east of England, living in Cosham means hard water is a fact of life. It’s not because rainwater is naturally hard, it’s actually soft. The reason is the soil beneath our feet.

Cosham sits on predominantly chalk and limestone soil, which is rich in calcium and magnesium minerals. When the rain seeps into this underlay, the calcium and magnesium components change the water from soft to hard.

For anyone living in Cosham that doesn’t much like a constant flow of hard water, the savvy decision would be to have a water softener installed. You’ll notice the benefits straightaway! Our skin and hair love soft water. It keeps them naturally soft, shiny and vibrant looking. Laundry likewise feels so much softer to the touch when soft water is flowing through the washing machine.

Hard water is also the prime cause of limescale, which can be a nightmare for homeowners. Thankfully, water softeners are superb at getting rid of scale, stopping it from accumulating in pipework and household appliances, like washing machines, kettles and dishwashers. They all work way better with soft water flowing through the system. Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms becomes much simpler and less costly because you won’t get through detergents as quickly. Your money will also stretch further with soft water coursing through your boiler. It won’t accumulate any scale, making it more energy efficient. Conversely, hard water dramatically downgrades heating systems. And, be warned, boilers are very expensive pieces of kit to repair and replace!

Cosham’s water hardness reading pans out at 276 parts per million (ppm). Given that any measurement above 200ppm is considered hard, Cosham is at the top end of the water hardness scale.

Cosham – an Overview

Annual rainfall: 24.21inch or 615mm.

Cosham is one of Portsmouth’s northern suburbs off Portsea Island, which has seen extensive suburban growth in the last 30 or 40 years and which has become a pinch point for buses travelling in and out of Portsmouth.

Meanwhile, Cosham railway station, which until 1935 was the terminus for Portsmouth-bound trams and trolleybuses, provides frequent services to destinations including Brighton, Southampton, London Waterloo and London Victoria.

Cosham High Street is a significant local shopping centre and although many of Cosham’s 18th century buildings have been demolished to make way for development and car parks, the ancient milepost showing mileage to London, Petersfield and Portsmouth still remains.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham is the major hospital serving south-east Hampshire and south-west West Sussex.