Top quality water
VIVAQUA’s mission is to produce high-quality water, in compliance with all regional and federal legislation in force.
For this purpose, it complies in particular with the provisions of legislation on the quality of water intended for human consumption defined by the 1998 European Directive 98/83/EC.
The water that reaches your tap complies with all the potability standards imposed by the three Regions and by the Federal State. These standards are stricter than those prescribed by the European Union.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, tap water is excellent drinking water.
Continuous monitoring
To ensure this quality, VIVAQUA carries out a large number of preventive controls. The water is continuously monitored at each stage of its production, transport and distribution.
In addition, following the repair or installation of a pipe, our technical teams ensure that the pipes are flushed. To ensure the potability of the water following works, our employees wait for the go-ahead from the Laboratory before putting the pipe back into service.
The distributed water must meet quality requirements concerning more than 55 parameters (microbiological, chemical, radiochemical or indicator parameters), established by regional legislation.
From a microbiological perspective, the water supplied by VIVAQUA is treated and monitored in such a way as to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms and prevent their proliferation in the distribution network. Our Laboratory has developed specific analysis methods for these particular risks.
Our Laboratory also develops analysis methods to detect traces of drugs (anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, etc.) in the distributed water. The results demonstrate the absence of risk to the consumer.
Do you want to check water quality in your home?
Limescale in the water?
Water hardness reflects the calcium and magnesium content dissolved in water.
Water is said to be soft or hard based on this content, which is expressed in French degrees (°f or °fH). It is sometimes also expressed in German degrees (°dH).
| 1 French degree (°f or °fH) corresponds to |
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While meeting the standards imposed by legislation, the composition of the water distributed in the Brussels-Capital Region may vary according to its origin.
Do you want to know the composition of the water that reaches your tap?
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Water hardness scale |
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| from 0 to 5°fH | very soft water |
| from 5 to 15°fH | soft water |
| from 15 to 25°fH | medium hard water |
| from 25 to 40°fH | hard water |
| > 40°fH | very hard water |
FAQs
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No. Rainwater is not drinkable and is not even reliable for regular personal hygiene.
Why?
Because rainwater is polluted by that which is present in the atmosphere:
- significant concentration of lead
- concentration of car exhaust gases that are not fully burned
- SO2 (sulphur dioxide)
- fumes from the waste incinerator and chemical plant chimneys, etc.
In addition, rainwater runs over roofs covered in dust and soiled by birds. After a few months, the tank is a veritable breeding ground for microbes.
When can rainwater be used?
It can be suitable for certain domestic uses: cleaning, washing, rinsing toilets, watering the garden, etc.
If you want to install a rainwater system in your home, make perfectly sure that it is completely and permanently separated from the drinking water system to avoid contaminating the latter.
Contact your water company for technical information. It should also be noted that the installation of a rainwater recovery system remains a significant investment which cannot always be recovered financially.
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No. On the contrary, effective disinfection of the mains water ensures that sometimes fatal infectious diseases are eliminated.This measure prevents bacterial contamination during the transport of the water in the pipes: only perfectly safe water reaches your tap. Water companies add the bare minimum of chlorine necessary for disinfection. These doses are safe for health. Water companies monitor the chlorine content and check if the disinfection is effective through bacteriological analysis.
Disinfection of mains water with chlorine (in the form of chlorine gas or hypochlorite) is one of the main measures taken to prevent bacterial contamination during the transport of the water in the pipes and to ensure that only perfectly safe water is delivered to the consumer.
The doses of chlorine added are reduced to the strict minimum: a litre of mains water can contain a maximum of a quarter of a milligram of chlorine. These very low doses are safe for health.
Chlorine tends to disappear depending on the temperature of the water and the time it remains in the pipes. The evaporation of chlorine from the kitchen or bathroom tap can make its smell noticeable, even in very small quantities.
Tips
Before immediate consumption, the taste of chlorine can be eliminated by adding a few drops of lemon juice to the water.
After some time, the smell and taste of chlorine will naturally fade if the water is stored in open containers. For an enjoyable drink, fill a carafe with cold water from the tap and place it in the fridge overnight: the next day, the taste of chlorine will be gone. It is best to consume the water within two days.
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No. Mains water must meet more than 55 quality parameters and is perfectly drinkable. In addition, after a certain period of use, these devices can alter the quality of the water.
Activated carbon filters are usually attached to the tap or placed in a kind of jug containing filter cartridges. The filters found in these jugs are most often a combination of activated carbon and ion-exchange resins to soften the water. In most of the small activated carbon filters, there is a significant bacterial growth after a rather short period of use. The water that comes out of these filters therefore has a poorer bacteriological quality. And when the filter is saturated with the adsorbed substances, these substances can, in some cases, be released into the water in much higher concentrations. A regular replacement of the filter cartridge is therefore necessary.
Membrane devices (reverse osmosis, …) are most often placed under the sink. In addition to potential problems of bacterial growth, these filters eliminate substances that are beneficial to our body, such as calcium and magnesium. They also lead to water waste.
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No.
Warming causes changes in the composition of water. The water contains less oxygen and does not taste good. In addition, harmful nitrites may have been formed.
Hot water means water from a water heater (boiler) or from a hot water cylinder in combination with central heating. This water no longer has the quality of drinking water, even if it is cooled afterwards. Warming causes some changes: firstly, the amount of oxygen in the water decreases and nitrites, which are harmful to health, can be formed. The taste is altered and, in addition, some bacteria take advantage of the favourable temperature to grow, especially in parts of the circuit where the water is warm rather than really hot.
This risk is even higher in buildings where there is a combined system for central heating (radiators) and domestic hot water production. If the heat exchanger separating them is defective, the water from one circuit can come into contact with the water from the other circuit.
In addition, hot water accelerates corrosion. It dissolves more easily certain substances (copper, iron, nickel, zinc, …) of the inner walls of the water heaters and pipes and may therefore contain significant traces of these metals.
Tips
Always use cold tap water for drinking, cooking and even making hot drinks. If your kitchen is equipped with a mixer tap, make sure it is in the ‘cold water’ position and do not hesitate to let the water run for a short time in order to purge the tap.
FAQs - PFAS
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PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of perfluorinated substances counting more than 5,000 chemical compounds.
They are present in a wide range of products such as
- food packaging
- paints, varnishes, inks, dyes
- water- and stain-repellent coatings
- pesticides & herbicides
- foam extinguishers (excluding CO2 extinguishers)
- non-stick coatings
- waterproof clothing
- shampoos, sun creams, cosmetics…
PFAS are highly persistent, mobile in the environment and bioaccumulative.
As a result, these pollutants can end up in the soil, in groundwater (via industries, foam extinguishers, waste water) and in the human body.
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PFAS are manufactured by the chemical industry for their non-stick, water-repellent and heat-resistant properties. Hence, these substances are used in a wide range of products such as:
- food packaging
- paints, varnishes, inks, dyes
- water- and stain-repellent coatings
- pesticides & herbicides
- foam extinguishers (excluding CO2 extinguishers)
- non-stick coatings
- waterproof clothing
- shampoos, sun creams, cosmetics…
They can also be found in foods such as
- eggs
- milk
- meat
- fish
- tap water
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All PFAS consist of a chain of carbon atoms to which fluorine atoms have been added. However, the bond between a carbon and a fluorine atom is extremely strong, meaning that PFAS degrade very little naturally and are therefore very persistent in the environment (hence their name ‘forever substances’).
Given their widespread use by industry since the 1950s, PFAS accumulate everywhere in the environment, particularly in the water and in the soil, but also in the human body.
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Yes. Water coming from your tap complies with all the potability standards imposed by the European Water Quality Directive and the Belgian legislation that follows from it.
Tap water meets quality requirements that are set by legislation for more than 55 parameters (microbiological, chemical, radiochemical or indicator parameters) and VIVAQUA’s laboratory carries out regular quality controls throughout the water’s journey, from the catchment site to the consumer’s tap.
With regard to PFAS, the new European Drinking Water Directive was adopted in December 2020. It mentions PFAS for the first time, stating that from 1 January 2026, the cumulative total of 20 types of PFAS may not exceed 100 ng/l to ensure that the water is drinkable.
It has to be noted that 1 nanogram is equivalent to 1 gram divided by 1 billion.
From the end of 2021, VIVAQUA began systematic and regular monitoring of its catchment sites and reservoirs, in particular the 6 reservoirs that supply the Brussels Region. At the same time, VIVAQUA also regularly and systematically monitors the Brussels distribution network (in the municipalities).
Since early 2022, all the water analyses in the Brussels-Capital Region’s networks, i.e. at the Brussels consumer’s tap, show results significantly below the future standard of 100 ng/l.
Furthermore, for several months now, VIVAQUA has been publishing the analysis results on its website every month. The water analysis results for a specific supply address can be found on the page ‘Water quality in your street‘.
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PFAS analysis is carried out using high-performance laboratory equipment. The technology used is high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). This technique enables PFAS to be separated, identified and quantified in samples. The concentration levels sought are particularly low. They require high-performance equipment and rigorous analysis, as these substances are also present in laboratories and can interfere with the final results. It is therefore not unusual to observe different results from different laboratories.
VIVAQUA has entrusted these analyses to a specialised laboratory in the Netherlands.
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Yes. VIVAQUA publishes the analysis results on its website every month. You can consult the complete report on the water distributed to your home. The results for PFAS can be found on page 3 of this report (in French or Dutch only) under the heading ‘Somme des 20 PFAS‘.
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To find out more about water quality in your street:
- go to the water quality module
- select your municipality
- enter your address
- choose the time period for which you want to obtain the data
- you get a summary of the calcium content (water hardness) at your address
- click on ‘PDF file‘ to view and download the complete analysis report
- the results for PFAS can be found on page 3 of this report