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Greater Victoria's tap water comes from the Capital Regional District (CRD), which draws almost all of it from the Sooke Lake Reservoir, in a protected watershed of about 22,400 hectares northwest of the city. The water is treated at the Goldstream Water Treatment Plant without filtration, under an exemption the CRD has held since 2001. In 2025, treated water leaving the plant had a median hardness of 18.1 mg/L over 12 samples, and the median over the previous ten years was 16.9 mg/L. That is soft water, which the CRD itself calls very soft. In Victoria, scale builds slowly, and grease, detergent residue and odours are a bigger worry than limescale.
Data last reviewed October 24, 2026.
Victoria is tied for #1 softest of 31 cities in the Canadian Hard Water Report 2026. See the full ranking
In other units
Source: Capital Regional District, Greater Victoria Drinking Water Quality, 2025 Annual Report (PDF). Data for: 2025, treated water leaving the plant. Checked October 24, 2026.
Scale builds slowly with soft water. Odours, grease and detergent residue are the bigger issue, so clean the dishwasher and the washer about every two weeks.
At this hardness, grease and detergent residue are the bigger issue, so start with the dishwasher.
Only dishwashers with a built-in water softener have a hardness setting. Here is the setting for this water, worked out from each maker's own table.
| Brand | Setting |
|---|---|
| Bosch and ThermadorCanadian models with a softener. H:00 is off. | H:00 |
| GaggenauSame ranges as Bosch. The display shows the °E band. | 0-8 |
| MieleSet in °dH. Below 5, Miele says no salt is needed. | 1 |
| Fisher & PaykelDishDrawer models with a softener. 0 is off. | 0 |
Most North American dishwashers, including Bosch models sold in the United States, have no water softener and no hardness setting. With those, use rinse aid and run a dishwasher cleaner once a month.
Sources: Bosch SHX78CC5UC manual, Thermador DWHD661EFP manual, Gaggenau DF481701 manual, Miele dishwasher manual (Canada), Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer guide
Softeners take hardness in US grains per gallon: the figure in mg/L divided by 17.12, rounded up.
| Brand | Setting |
|---|---|
| Nespresso Essenza PlusHardness level, and cups between descalings | Level 0 (4,000 cups) |
| Jura E8Hardness setting | 1 °dH |
Sources: Nespresso Essenza Plus manual, Jura E8 manual, Breville Barista Touch manual, De'Longhi descaling FAQ, Keurig descaling page
Hard water leaves scale on the heating element and the drum, and more detergent residue behind.
Dissolves grease, detergent residue and limescale buildup, and removes odour-causing buildup.
Clears grease, limescale and odour buildup
Breaks down residue and odour-causing buildup inside your washer.
Removes odour and buildup from the drum and hoses
We use the U.S. Geological Survey scale, in mg/L as CaCO₃.
Utilities usually report hardness in mg/L as calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), which is the same as ppm. Dishwasher and softener manuals often use grains per gallon or German degrees instead. Here is how they convert:
No. The CRD's 2025 results for the Goldstream plant give a median of 18.1 mg/L, with samples from 16 to 18.5 mg/L. That is soft water. Water only counts as moderately hard above 60 mg/L.
The CRD's Goldstream plant supplies Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Sidney, Colwood, Langford, Metchosin and part of the Highlands. Sooke and East Sooke get the same reservoir water through a separate plant, where the 2025 median was 17.6 mg/L. Homes on private wells are not covered here.
Less often than in harder-water cities. Scale builds slowly with soft water. Grease, detergent residue and odours build up in dishwashers and washers whatever your water, so cleaning the dishwasher and the washer about every two weeks still makes sense.
For dishwashers with a built-in water softener, each maker's table gives: Goldstream Water Treatment Plant: Bosch and Thermador H:00, Gaggenau 0-8, Miele 1, Fisher & Paykel 0. Most North American dishwashers, including Bosch models sold in the United States, have no water softener and no hardness setting. With those, use rinse aid and run a dishwasher cleaner once a month.
Goldstream Water Treatment Plant: 2 grains per US gallon (rounded up).
Goldstream Water Treatment Plant: 1.1 grains per US gallon, or 1.3 grains per imperial gallon.
Capital Regional District, Greater Victoria Drinking Water Quality, 2025 Annual Report (PDF). Data for 2025, treated water leaving the plant. We update this page when a new report comes out.
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