Well Water Treatment in Delray Beach

Same aquifer, very different water

The city's wells and a private well can draw from the same shallow East Coast Surficial Aquifer. The difference is what happens next. City water is aerated to remove gases, lime-softened to remove hardness, color and iron, filtered and disinfected. A private well delivers the water as it comes out of the ground.

Irrigation wells

The most common private well around Delray Beach is for sprinklers. The usual complaints are orange stains, clogged heads and a sulfur smell outdoors. Where the city's reclaimed water service is available, it is an alternative; the city requires an approved backflow preventer at the drinking water meter before reclaimed service is connected. See orange stains in Delray Beach.

Drinking wells: testing advice

• The Florida Department of Health says private well owners are responsible for making sure their own well water is safe to drink, and that the most common contaminants are microbes and nitrate.
• Test for bacteria and nitrate with a certified lab on a regular schedule, and after flooding or repairs.
• In Palm Beach County, the Department of Health's Environmental Laboratory in West Palm Beach tests drinking water for total coliform and E. coli, with sampling instructions in English, Spanish and Creole.

How Living Water builds a well system

From the test up, a well setup may include sediment filtration, iron and hydrogen sulfide reduction by oxidation and filtration, an ion-exchange softener where hardness is high, and under-sink RO for drinking water. Where a lab finds bacteria, disinfection comes into the picture; compare UV vs. RO for well water. See well water systems and well water treatment cost in Florida.

Buying a home with a well

Ask the seller whether the well feeds the house, the irrigation or both, when it was last tested, and whether any treatment equipment is included and working. Ask for service records. A lab test before closing is worth it for a drinking well.

What Jorge checks

Iron, hardness, pH, dissolved solids and odor, plus pump flow and pressure, which affect sizing. He tells you when a certified lab test should come first. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974. Living Water offers financing through its financing partners; you apply with a credit application, and a co-applicant can apply with you.

Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist