Water Filtration & Treatment in Greenacres

Who does what for Greenacres water

PBCWUD's 2025 Water Quality Report names the City of Greenacres in its eastern service area, alongside unincorporated Palm Beach County, the Village of Royal Palm Beach and the Town of Haverhill. The county utility handles everything up to and including the meter box. Everything on the house side of the meter is the homeowner's responsibility.

Source and treatment

In the east, PBCWUD pumps from the most permeable layer of the Biscayne Aquifer, a shallow aquifer, at about 150 feet, to one of its four eastern drinking water plants. The report describes three kinds of treatment across its plants: lime softening with ion exchange (the resin step removes dissolved organic matter and color), filtration, and nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. The county does not say in the report which plant serves which neighborhood, so the exact blend reaching a Greenacres street can vary. That is one more reason Jorge tests at your tap instead of assuming: two homes a few miles apart can see slightly different dissolved solids or disinfectant readings on the same day.

Systemwide, the utility says it serves more than 645,000 residents, distributes about 63 million gallons a day through more than 2,500 miles of pipe, and reported zero water quality violations in 2025.

Chloramine, and the twice-a-year switch

In the eastern service area, chloramine (chlorine plus ammonia) is the disinfectant. The 2025 eastern data lists a highest running annual average of 3.04 ppm, with individual results from 0.07 to 4.53 ppm; the report notes the top value was 1 of 3,573 samples. Twice a year PBCWUD switches to chlorine only to clean the pipes, with hydrant flushing at the same time. Many Greenacres residents notice a stronger chlorine smell during those weeks. The county notes that chlorine must be removed from water used for kidney dialysis and aquariums, so if you keep fish, use a conditioner suited to whichever disinfectant is in use. See chloramine filters in Greenacres.

Other facts from the 2025 report

• Fluoride: PBCWUD stopped adding fluoride before July 1, 2025. The fluoride data in the report is from 2023 sampling. See fluoride filters.
• PFAS: 2025 UCMR 5 sampling across four plants detected ten PFAS compounds at low levels. See PFAS in Greenacres.
• Lead service lines: the systemwide inventory found none.
• Sodium: up to 49.7 ppm in the eastern system (2023 sampling).
• Byproducts: TTHM 40.63 ppb and HAA5 30.35 ppb, under limits of 80 and 60.
• Source water: the 2025 state assessment identified 146 potential sources of contamination near eastern-region wells, with low to moderate susceptibility. Those levels describe nearby activity, not monitoring results.

Wells and irrigation

Private wells in Greenacres draw untreated groundwater from the same shallow aquifer system, without any of the county's treatment. Some homes irrigate from wells, which is a common source of orange stains and sulfur smells around sprinklers. Florida does not require routine testing of private home wells, and the Department of Health recommends that owners of drinking wells test for bacteria and nitrate at least once a year. The South Florida Water Management District's year-round landscape irrigation rules are worth checking before you change a sprinkler schedule. See well water in Greenacres and orange stains.

What usually fits a Greenacres home

• Single-family home: a whole-home city water system for chloramine, often with under-sink alkaline RO for drinking water.
• Townhome, villa or apartment: under-sink RO.
• Restaurant, salon, gym or school: softening or filtration for equipment, after testing. See water softeners.
• Private well: a well water system configured from the well's test.

Every Greenacres topic, and how to book

Systems: whole-home filtration, water softeners, under-sink RO, 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: filtration, reverse osmosis, softener. Testing: home water testing.

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. 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