Who handles what in Cutler Bay
Cutler Bay is an incorporated town, but water is a county service here. The Town's Public Works FAQ sends residents to Miami-Dade for anything involving water or sanitary sewer:
| Issue | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Water or sewer problem, billing, new service | Miami-Dade Water and Sewer, 305-665-7477 or 3-1-1 |
| Water or sewer emergency | WASD emergency line, 305-274-9272 |
| Water quality questions about the Orr plant | WASD, 786-552-4181 |
| Storm drains and Town streets | Town Public Works, 305-234-4262 |
| The C-100B and C-1N canals | South Florida Water Management District |
Knowing this saves calls: the Town cannot adjust the water chemistry, and WASD cannot help with a clogged storm drain.
Where the water comes from and how it is treated
WASD's 2025 Water Quality Report describes three regional plants that feed one shared main distribution system. The Alexander Orr, Jr. Water Treatment Plant draws from the Biscayne Aquifer, the shallow limestone aquifer under South Florida, and serves customers south of SW 8 Street to approximately SW 264 Street. Cutler Bay falls within that band.
At Orr, the water receives lime treatment to reduce hardness, then it is disinfected and filtered. The report's treatment diagram adds two steps that matter at home: chlorine is added as the primary disinfectant and ammonia is added to form chloramine, which keeps protecting the water in the pipes, and a phosphorus compound is added for corrosion control in the distribution system and in household plumbing.
One local detail: south of SW 264 Street, unincorporated areas are served by a separate South Dade Water Supply System of five smaller plants. Cutler Bay is north of that line, on the main system.
The numbers in the 2025 report worth knowing
- Chloramine: the main system reports 2.5 ppm, with results from not detected to 4.0, against a maximum residual level of 4.
- Fluoride: Orr and the other main plants stopped adding fluoride as of June 6, 2025. Natural levels since then run about 0.1 to 0.3 ppm. See fluoride filters in Cutler Bay.
- Sodium: 33 ppm on the main system.
- Disinfection byproducts: TTHM 50 ppb and HAA5 34 ppb (locational running averages), under limits of 80 and 60.
- PFAS: the report includes a PFAS table and says initial compliance monitoring is underway. See PFAS filters.
WASD also publishes its lead service line inventory at miamidade.gov/knowyourpipes.
Free chlorine weeks, canals and other Cutler Bay specifics
Every year WASD runs a two-week chlorine conversion, using free chlorine instead of chloramine to cleanse the distribution system. In 2026 it ran from September 28 through October 11. Expect a stronger pool-like smell during those weeks.
Cutler Bay is coastal and crossed by canals; the Town says its main canals, C-100B and C-1N, are maintained by the South Florida Water Management District. Some yards irrigate from a private well rather than the county line, and that untreated water is behind many orange stains on walls and walks. See orange and rust stains and well water in Cutler Bay.
Septic is less common here than in the villages to the north: a 2018 Miami-Dade study counted 228 residential parcels on septic in Cutler Bay, compared with several thousand in Palmetto Bay or Pinecrest.
What usually fits a Cutler Bay home
| Situation | Usually worth considering |
|---|---|
| Single-family home on WASD water | A whole-home city water system for chloramine at every tap, often paired with RO in the kitchen |
| Townhome or condo | Under-sink alkaline reverse osmosis for drinking and cooking water |
| Spots on glass and fixtures | A hardness test first; see hard water spots and softener vs. filter |
| Restaurant, gym, school or laundry | An ion-exchange softening plant sized to daily volume, after testing |
| Irrigation or drinking well | Well treatment configured from the well's own test |
Every Cutler Bay page
Systems: whole-home filtration, water softeners, under-sink reverse osmosis, best drinking water system, softener vs. filter.
Problems: chlorine and chloramine, rotten-egg smell, orange stains, hard water spots, dry skin after showering, PFAS, fluoride, well water.
Costs: water filtration cost, reverse osmosis cost, water softener cost. Testing: home water testing in Cutler Bay.
Jorge also serves nearby Palmetto Bay, Homestead and Kendall.
How to book
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. He tests at your tap, explains the results in plain words, and recommends a system only if it fits. There is no obligation. If you decide to go ahead, Living Water offers financing through its financing partners; you apply with a credit application, and a co-applicant can apply with you.
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/water/water-supply-and-treatment.page
https://www.cutlerbay-fl.gov/publicworks/page/public-works-faq
https://cutlerbay-fl.gov/publicworks/page/miami-dade-water-and-sewer
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/news-item.page?Mduid_news=news1753893105003591
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/environment/documents/vulnerability-septic-systems-sea-level-rise.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/knowyourpipes
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist