Chloramine in Coral Gables water
WASD's Water Quality Report explains that ammonia is added to combine with chlorine and form chloramine. WASD's 2025 report lists chloramine results for the main system, which includes the Alexander Orr, Jr. plant that serves most of the Gables. Utilities use chloramine because it stays active through long distribution lines and forms fewer of certain disinfection byproducts.
The trade-off for many households is the smell and taste: a faint pool odor in the shower and a flat or chemical note in drinking water.
The yearly switch to free chlorine
Once a year WASD switches from chloramine to free chlorine for about two weeks as routine maintenance. The City of Coral Gables posts an annual water treatment notice telling residents they may notice a chlorine taste or smell, brief pressure dips or cloudy water. If water looks cloudy, the city suggests running the tap three to five minutes. The notice also tells dialysis patients to consult their physicians and aquarium owners to check with an aquarium professional, since both chlorine and chloramine matter in those cases.
Why plain carbon can struggle
Standard activated carbon removes free chlorine quickly. Chloramine reacts more slowly, so the water needs more contact time with the media, or a carbon type made for chloramine. A small filter with a short contact time may reduce chlorine well and chloramine only partly. That is why it is worth asking about chloramine by name.
What to look for
- Chloramine named in the documentation, not just chlorine
- Certification: NSF/ANSI 42 covers chloramine reduction for aesthetic purposes; check the exact model's listing
- Sizing for your flow, so contact time holds up when several fixtures run
- Media life: ask how often media is replaced
Living Water describes its Puronics whole-home systems, Clarius iGen and Goodspring, as removing chlorine and chloramine. Read our guide on choosing a filter for chloramine.
Whole-home or drinking water only
A whole-home system treats showers and every tap. An under-sink RO system covers drinking and cooking water at one sink. If the shower smell bothers you, whole-home is the one that reaches it.
Measure it first
Jorge measures the disinfectant at your tap and explains what that means for taste and smell. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.coralgables.com/news/annual-water-treatment-notice
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist