Home Water Testing in Fort Lauderdale

Reading Fort Lauderdale's Water Quality Report

The city publishes its report every year; the 2025 edition covers monitoring from January 1 to December 31, 2025. Tips for reading it:

• The source section explains the Biscayne Aquifer wells and the two plants.
• The chloramines line shows the disinfectant level; in 2025 it averaged 2.3 parts per million, below the regulatory maximum of 4.0.
• Compare each result with its MCL, the legal limit, and check the violation column.
• Note the fluoride change: the city stopped adding fluoride before July 2025 under Florida law.

Questions go to the city's Customer Service Center at 954-828-8000, which can also send the report in Spanish or Haitian Creole.

Lead: what the city publishes and what it cannot see

The city completed a lead service line inventory, published at ftlcity.info/serviceline, and its report says lead and copper sampling is being conducted again in summer 2026. Like every utility, it explains that lead in drinking water comes mainly from service lines and home plumbing. The plumbing inside your house is outside the utility's control, so if you are concerned, a state-certified lab test at your tap is the way to get a documented result.

Why test at your own tap

Fort Lauderdale homes can receive water from different plants. The city has explained that neighborhoods south of Broward Boulevard that normally receive Peele-Dixie water may temporarily get Fiveash water during maintenance, with a slight color difference. Add your own pipes, water heater and any existing equipment, and the only reliable picture of your water is a test where you actually use it.

What happens during the free visit

1. You tell Jorge what you notice: taste, smell, color, spots or scale.
2. He tests water from your tap.
3. He explains each result in plain words.
4. He recommends a system only if it fits, or tells you that you do not need one.

More detail: what happens during a home water assessment.

Screening or lab analysis?

An in-home screening is quick and practical for decisions about taste, odor and hardness. A state-certified laboratory is the right choice for documented results on a specific contaminant. Jorge can tell you when a lab is worth it. Compare them in home screening vs. lab analysis.

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