What the city already tests
The City of Boca Raton Utility Services Department says it conducted more than 16,500 water tests in 2025 and tested for more than 100 contaminants. Results are in its Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, posted by July 1 each year on myboca.us. Call 561-338-7306 for a paper copy.
That report covers the system. Your tap adds two things the report cannot: the plumbing inside your home, and how your home uses water.
What an in-home screening covers
| Test | What it tells you in Boca Raton |
|---|---|
| Total chlorine | How much chloramine is reaching your tap. The city range is 2.0 to 3.5 mg/L. |
| Hardness | Whether your tap matches the city's 3.8 to 4.7 grains per gallon, and whether a softener adds anything. |
| Total dissolved solids | A general mineral reading; useful before and after an RO system. |
| pH | The city lists 8.0 to 8.5. |
Jorge explains each number in plain words and what, if anything, it means for taste, odor and scale.
When you need a lab instead
A home screening is not a certified lab analysis. For specific questions, such as bacteria in a private well or a particular contaminant, a state-certified lab is the right tool. The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County runs an Environmental Laboratory in West Palm Beach that tests drinking water for total coliform and E. coli. See home screening vs. lab analysis.
Lead and older plumbing
The city's report explains that lead in drinking water comes mainly from service lines and home plumbing, and that the city has published a service line inventory. If you are concerned about lead, the city offers testing; call (561) 347-3918, the number listed in its 2024 report. For filters, the report advises using one certified to reduce lead by an ANSI-accredited certifier.
Good reasons to test in Boca Raton
- You are deciding between a softener and a filter and want the hardness number for your own tap.
- You moved from another city and the water tastes different. Boca's water is blended from two softening processes, so it may not match what you are used to.
- You are not sure whether you are on city or county water.
- You have a private well, or an irrigation well that is staining the house.
- You already own a filter and want to know if it is still doing its job, for example whether chloramine is getting through.
What happens at the visit
- Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974 to book.
- Jorge tests at the kitchen tap and, where useful, at another point in the house.
- He walks you through the results.
- If a system fits, you get an itemized quote. If nothing is needed, he says so.
Full walkthrough: what happens during a home water assessment.
https://www.myboca.us/DocumentCenter/View/43632/2025-Annual-Water-Quality-Report-
https://www.myboca.us/389/Water-Quality
https://myboca.us/444/Annual-Water-Quality-Report
https://palmbeach.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-health/water-lab/
https://www.myboca.us/DocumentCenter/View/38595/2024-Annual-Water-Quality-Report
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist