Quality of Amsterdam tap water

An employee of Het Waterlaboratorium examines water under a microscope.

In the Netherlands, there are strict regulations in place for the production of tap water. This to ensure that it is safe and healthy to drink. There are 3 specific regulations we must abide by:

1. The European Union Drinking Water Directive.
   This sets out the requirements for tap water for all countries within the European Union.
2. Dutch Drinking Water Act.
   This concerns the Dutch implementation of the European Union Drinking Water Directive. The Drinking Water Act sets out how we ensure that tap water is safe and healthy in the Netherlands.
3. Dutch Drinking Water Decree.
   This sets out which substances are allowed in our tap water. And what levels of these substances are acceptable in our drinking water.

Water companies always check whether the water meets all these requirements. They must demonstrate to the government that they are abiding by the regulations.

Excelling at water management

The Netherlands has stricter requirements for tap water quality than other countries within the European Union. This is because the Netherlands excels at water management. We have excellent tap water sources and there are stricter regulations on chemicals in the water. In the Netherlands, we aim to use as little chlorine and other chemicals as possible to purify the water. In many European countries, for example, chlorine is regularly used to clean water. We also have a great deal of knowledge in the Netherlands about how to purify water. As a result, we are able to produce clean tap water through natural purification methods.

Read about the Drinking Water Act (You are leaving this website)

Read about the Drinking Water Decree (You are leaving this website)

Read about the European Union Drinking Water Directive (You are leaving this website)

Lead pipes and tap water quality

Do you live in a house built before 1960? If you do, you may have old lead pipes for your water supply in your home. Small particles of lead can enter your tap water through these pipes. This could be harmful to your health.

Do you think you have lead pipes? Read more about lead pipes in your home.

Do I need to purify my water myself?

Did you know that tap water in Amsterdam is among the cleanest in the world? We have the quality of our tap water checked even more rigorously than spring water. Our tap water is also very soft. It contains very little lime. In fact, only 8 degrees dH (German degree of Hardness). Water is not hard until it reaches 12 dH. So, you do not need to purify your water at home with a water treatment system.

Measuring tap water quality

Het Waterlaboratorium research institute (you will leave this site) measures the quality of our tap water every day. They do this in the following places:

• at the sources of our tap water
• during the production of tap water
• in the water storage tanks
• in the water pipes
• at the homes of customers

What if they discover that there is too much of a certain substance in the water? Then we make sure that measures are taken in time.

What substances do we measure?

The tap water we supply complies with strict legal requirements. The annual reports below show what substances we measure in the water. Does the tap water contain too much of a certain substance? Then we immediately take the necessary measures.

• The amount of a substance in our tap water is shown in the table on the left in the annual reports.
• The right-hand side of the table in the annual reports shows the maximum amount of a substance that is allowed to be present in the water. Or the minimum amount that must be in the water.

Tap water measurement data

The tap water measurement data can be found on this page in Dutch (You are leaving this website).