Hardness, nitrates, pH, sanitary compliance: the real tap water quality in Brioude (soft water), with official Hub'Eau data updated monthly.
✓ Compliant with sanitary standardsIn Brioude, in the Haute-Loire department, tap water hardness is 9.6°f — soft water that naturally limits limescale deposits. Appliances (washing machines, kettles, water heaters) benefit directly: scale build-up is slow and regular antiscale cleaning is sufficient without needing softening salt. Soft water also tends to taste pleasant, with adequate mineralisation. Official sanitary tests declare it compliant with current standards across all monitored parameters.
Results from the latest official sanitary samples (Hub’Eau, French Ministry of Health). Click a card to understand what each parameter measures.
Sanitary compliance summarises adherence to French regulatory limits across all analysed parameters (bacteriology, chemistry, radioactivity). Compliant water can be consumed directly from the tap without additional treatment.
The TH (titre hydrotimétrique) measures calcium and magnesium concentration, expressed in French degrees (°f). The higher it is, the harder the water and the faster limescale deposits on surfaces and in appliances.
Nitrates come mainly from agriculture and waste water. The French regulatory limit is 50 mg/L; below 25 mg/L, the level is considered low.
PFAS are persistent chemical compounds, sometimes called "forever chemicals", used in industry. The vigilance threshold used here is 0.1 µg/L, consistent with current health recommendations.
pH measures water acidity. Regulations require a value between 6.5 and 9: outside this range, water may encourage pipe corrosion or affect taste.
Free chlorine is added to disinfect water and prevent bacterial growth in the distribution network. High levels can produce a perceptible taste or odour, without health risk at authorised levels.
Turbidity measures water clarity, in NTU (nephelometric turbidity units). A low value indicates clear water with few suspended particles.
Conductivity reflects overall water mineralisation, in µS/cm. It has no strict sanitary threshold but indicates the dissolved mineral salt content.
Maintenance budget: ~£27/year
For 2 persons, water at 9.6°f deposits around 0.5 kg of limescale per year in your appliances. Estimated cost in descalers, salt and filters.
Calcium: ~15 mg per litre
Your water provides 15 mg of calcium/L, which is 2% of the recommended daily intake.
Filtration not required
Your soft water does not require filtration. A jug filter remains useful for taste.
Drinking water in Brioude, in the Haute-Loire department is managed by sgeb - commission secteur brioude, which handles production, treatment and distribution of tap water in the municipality. The last available official sanitary analysis for Brioude dates from 29 June 2026.
Compare the water quality in Brioude with any other city available on the site.
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How does Brioude compare to the 27 cities in the Haute-Loire department and the 4806 largest cities in France in our database, on key water quality indicators.
Comparison based on 27 cities in Haute-Loire department and the 4806 largest cities in France in our database.
Top 10 cities in the Haute-Loire department ranked by tap water quality in our database.
Brioude ranks 5th out of 27 cities in the department in our database.
Tap water in Brioude has a quality index of 8/10 (excellent quality) in our database, calculated on nitrates, PFAS, pH, free chlorine and turbidity. This is a comparative reading of Hub'Eau data, not an official rating.
Tap water hardness in Brioude is 9.6°f (French degrees), making it soft water. The average is 7.5°f in the Haute-Loire department and 22.1°f across our entire database.
Little. At 9.6°f, water in Brioude is soft: limescale deposits remain limited on taps, shower walls and heating appliances.
No. With soft water (9.6°f), a softener would bring nothing: limescale isn't the issue in Brioude.
Yes. In the last available official sanitary analysis (29 June 2026), water distributed in Brioude was declared compliant, meaning it can be drunk directly from the tap. Official conclusion: "Eau d'alimentation conforme aux limites de qualité et non conforme aux références de qualité." This is a point-in-time sample, not real-time monitoring.
The pH measured in Brioude is 6.9. Regulations require a value between 6.5 and 9: the water is within this range.
Compare tap water quality in other cities of the Haute-Loire department, ranked by quality index.
Methodology: the quality index compares each city against the 4806 other cities in our database on 5 parameters (nitrates, PFAS, pH, free chlorine, turbidity) and averages its relative position on each. This is not an official rating, only a simplified comparative reading of Hub’Eau data.