Drinking water quality

Almost 90% of our customers in Tallinn (in Kesklinna, Lasnamäe, Mustamäe, Põhja-Tallinna, Kristiine and Haabersti city districts), but also in the City of Maardu, in Muuga, in Pirita and partially in Harku, drink surface water. Nearly 10% of the residents of Tallinn drink local groundwater. These areas include Nõmme, Laagri, Merivälja, Pirita, Tiskre, the City of Saue and Tiskre village in Harku Rural Municipality.

Health Board and Tallinna Vesi laboratories are new using the new water analysis method Colilert-18. The new method is quicker, more precise and sensitive meaning that there have been more coli-like bacterias discovered, which are environmental bacterias. These bacterias are not dangerous to people’s health. More thorough information about the method can be found at the Health Board’s page in Estonian.

Average water quality parameters in 2019:

Average water quality parameters in 2018:

Average water quality parameters in 2017:

Average water quality parameters in 2016:

Quality of drinking water has a significant impact on public health and wellbeing. Tap water quality in the capital city has been comparable to that of any country in Western Europe for several years now, and therefore we keep encouraging people to drink tap water. Strict legal requirements are set for the quality of drinking water and this quality is monitored in line with the drinking water monitoring programs approved by the Health Board. Water quality is best characterized by the compliance with the legislative acts.

2018 customer satisfaction survey, carried out by an independent research agency EMOR, confirmed that our customers and consumers trust tap water quality more and more. 90.44% of consumers drank tap water, while in 2018 the number was 86% and in 2011 only 48%. This proves also how important it is to focus on increasing the consumers’ awareness about the tap water quality.

In 2019, 99% of all the water samples taken were compliant with all the requirements. Thus, only few samples exceeded the limit values. In all these cases we immediately carried out maintenance works on the street network, resulting in the new samples being fully compliant. Steadily high level of quality is a result of an efficient water treatment process, a timely maintenance done on the water pipelines and preventive actions reducing the number of water bursts on the network.