Home Water Testing in Highland Beach

What the town already tests

The Town of Highland Beach Water Department monitors its water under state and federal rules and publishes the results each year. Its 2025 report lists chlorine averaging 1.15 ppm, sodium 54.0 ppm, fluoride 0.023 ppm and very low disinfection byproducts. Lead and copper are sampled at homes; the 90th percentile lead result was 3.5 ppb, with no sites above the action level.

Those are system-wide numbers. Your own tap can differ depending on how far you are from the plant and your building's pipes.

What Jorge checks at your home

• Chlorine: how much reaches your tap, hot and cold.
• pH and TDS: how the water changes inside your building.
• Hardness: to confirm whether softening makes any sense (usually not here).
• Your plumbing: water heater age, visible corrosion, and where equipment could go.

Read what happens during the visit in what happens during a home water assessment.

He also records the time and which tap he sampled, so if you retest later, or after a system is installed, you are comparing like with like.

When to use a certified lab

An in-home screening is not a lab analysis. For lead, PFAS, bacteria or anything with a health standard, use a state-certified laboratory. See home screening vs. lab analysis.

Condo owners: test your unit, not the lobby

High-rise water passes through building pumps, risers and sometimes shared water heaters. A sample from your kitchen tells you more than any building-wide number. If several neighbors report the same taste or color, tell your association and the town.

Make the visit useful

• Note when you notice taste, odor or color: morning, hot water, after travel.
• Have your water heater accessible.
• Tell Jorge if your building recently had plumbing work or a water shutoff.
• If the town has announced a chloramine maintenance period, mention it; it changes what a chlorine test shows.

Who to call for what

For questions about the town's water, the Water Plant Superintendent is at (561) 637-2036. For a free in-home test and an explanation of options, call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974.

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