Can You Drink Tap Water in Miami?

Bustling with life, energy and color, Miami treats locals and tourists alike to a world of waves, water, and sand. Of course, Florida water isn’t just for snorkeling, sailing and windsurfing; it’s also an important part of local health and safety.
Here’s what to know about the Miami water system and how to improve your home’s drinking water quality.

Miami Tap Water Quality

An important thing to know about Florida tap water – and tap water across North America – is that there are already some safety measures in place for municipal water. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets legal limits for over 90 contaminants in drinking water, while the Safe Drinking Water Act enables states to also set and enforce their own drinking water standards, as long as they are at least as strict as those set by the EPA. Similarly, water systems in Canada are protected by the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

On top of all that, city water systems are generally treated with disinfectants like chlorine, which helps address disease-causing bacteria, viruses and other contaminants.* Various government agencies, nonprofit organizations and legal guidelines ensure that chlorine levels are properly reviewed and controlled. You may notice chlorine odors when drinking tap water, but this is considered an aesthetic issue, and while it can be addressed, it doesn’t represent a significant health risk.

The Miami Water System

The City of Miami Beach is a wholesale customer of the Miami-Dade Water & Sewer Department (WASD). Here’s what that relationship means:

• WASD is responsible for providing water and managing, testing and ensuring its safety. The Department continuously performs biological examination and chemical analysis; organic and inorganic testing is conducted annually. All results are provided to the City for review.
• The City ensures that the water supply meets or exceeds every federal and state health guideline. Its licensed water treatment and distribution system operators sample, monitor and distribute water across Miami, completing daily, monthly, yearly and three-year interval testing.

Most of the Miami water supply comes from the Biscayne Aquifer, located just below the surface in South Florida. (The Floridan Aquifer is another, much smaller, water source.) Like most aquifers, this one is made up of porous rock that “holds” rain and other sources of water, creating an underground storage tank. This is called groundwater. Wells in the Miami area draw from the Biscayne Aquifer and travel through the water system managed by WASD and the City.
Here’s a closer look at how these systems break down:

• The Alexander Orr, Jr. Water Treatment Plant draws from the Biscayne Aquifer and puts source water through three main processes: fluoridation, disinfection and filtration. The water also undergoes lime treatment to reduce hardness levels. This plant is operated by the City of Miami Beach Public Works Department (CMB).
• The Hialeah & John E. Preston Water Treatment Plants, also managed by the CMB, draw from the same aquifer and supply a significant portion of Miami-Dade County. The Hialeah plant adds a treatment process called “air stripping” to remove volatile organic compounds. The John E. Preston plant also uses this process, but because its source water has a higher level of naturally occurring organic matter, it also uses “enhanced softening” to reduce the yellow tint that used to be common from this plant.
• The Hialeah Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant Supply System (ROWTP) draws from the Upper Floridian Aquifer and uses six groundwater wells and associated pipelines. Water is chemically treated to keep it from altering the functionality of the reverse osmosis (RO) membranes; it’s then pressurized and sent through RO. After that, the water completes processes including pH adjustments, chlorination, fluoridation and “degasification,” which removes certain gases.
• The South Dade Water Supply System includes five water treatment areas serving particular parts of Miami. Water from the Biscayne Aquifer is taken, disinfected and stabilized to limit corrosion in the pipe systems.
• The Redavo Water Supply System takes water from the City of Homestead, which has its own water treatment process, and transports it to homes in a particular portion of the Miami-Dade area
• The NMB Water Supply System provides water from the City of North Miami Beach and serves certain homes connected to the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department water lines.

Although the water treatment processes differ depending on the area and distributor, it’s important to remember that these elements all come together to form what’s commonly thought of as the singular “public water system.” This includes the source water, treatment plants, water distribution lines and connections throughout the Miami area.

In 2022, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) performed a Source Water Assessment to provide information about potential contamination sources near particular wells in the overall public water system. The assessment found 91 potential sources with low to moderate susceptibility levels; however, keep in mind that this was a review of the sources themselves, generally due to nearby activity, not actual contamination levels.

Based on this and other testing, assessments and information, the CMB notes a few particular areas of potential concern:

• Radon 222: commonly known as just radon, is a naturally occurring gas that forms when uranium in soil begins its radioactive decay process. Colorless and odorless, radon is a more significant risk in the air than in drinking water. However, the CMB has detected radon in the finished water supply (although there isn’t a federal regulation for radon levels in drinking water).
• Nitrate: The CMB says it consistently finds nitrate levels below the health effect level. However, the Department also notes that nitrates can accumulate quickly due to human activity or natural processes like rainfall and that high levels of nitrates can cause health effects in infants under six months of age.
• Lead: Lead in drinking water can cause serious health problems. Although the CMB and WASD work together to limit lead exposure as much as possible, neither entity can be responsible for materials in your home’s plumbing system — so if you have lead pipes, you could potentially have lead water, too.
  To learn more about water treatment, quality and potential contamination, you can always view the Water Quality Report for your area — a report that cities must make publicly available per EPA guidelines. In Miami, you can access this data through the City of Miami Beach or the Miami-Dade County websites.

Miami Tap Water Solutions

Although the Water Quality Report can tell you a lot about what’s happening when you turn on the tap, this information is based on city-wide data and isn’t specific to your home. For a more personalized look, you’ll want a professional water test and consultation. These free tests can measure chlorine, iron and other potential contaminants — and, for a more detailed look, you can also have your test sent to an IL-EPA certified lab.

When you get your results, a local water expert will offer customized recommendations to address your water quality concerns. In Miami, the answer is often a reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, which helps address various contaminants such as nitrates and lead.

What About Hard Water in Miami?

Most of what the City manages and tests is considered drinking water quality — that is, the taste, odor, color and overall safety of the water you drink and cook with. However, water can have other issues that don’t impact your health but certainly have negative effects on your home.

Minerals like calcium and magnesium increase the “hardness” of your water. The higher these levels, the more likely you are to see problems such as soap scum, mineral buildup or limescale, spotty dishes and even dry skin and hair. While at least one Miami water treatment plant (the Alexander Orr, Jr. Water Treatment Plant) addresses hardness, most municipal water solutions are focused on addressing drinking water problems. As such, it’s usually your responsibility to handle water hardness.
Every Florida resident should know that much of the state has a particular kind of landscape, called karst, that increases the chance of hardness minerals ending up in the environment and — eventually — in your water supply.
Fortunately, a water softener can address those hard minerals and all of the frustration that comes with them. Just one system fixes mineral buildup, stiff laundry, reduced efficiency in water-using appliances and even some skin and hair problems.

Find Solutions for Your Miami Water

Although the Miami public water system is protected by numerous guidelines, organizations and tests, there are plenty of other variables that can change what comes out of your tap. From water hardness problems to lead pipes or chlorine odors, there are plenty of reasons to look for your own treatment solutions. A professional water test will tell you where — and how — to get started.
Schedule your free, in-home water test and consultation today.
*Contaminants may not be present in your water.