Who is on a well around Homestead
The water picture changes as you leave the city:
- Inside city limits: HPS Water, the city's own utility, pumps from Biscayne Aquifer wells at Wittkop Park and Harris Field and treats the water before delivery.
- Unincorporated areas south of SW 264 Street: WASD's South Dade Water Supply System, five small plants on their own distribution system, serves some residents.
- Redland and rural lots: Miami-Dade planning describes the Redland as cropland, groves, nurseries and pasture, and a county economic plan notes limited infrastructure deep in South Dade. Private wells are common there.
Miami-Dade's Connection Finder tool and its open-data list of properties potentially served by septic or wells can help you confirm a specific address.
What the state recommends
The Florida Department of Health says private well owners are responsible for their own well water. It recommends:
- Testing for bacteria and nitrate at least once a year.
- Testing for coliform bacteria, nitrate and lead when a home is bought or sold.
- Asking the local health department about additional tests based on past and present land use nearby, a sensible question in an agricultural area.
Those are certified lab tests. Jorge's assessment adds what you need to design equipment: hardness, iron, odor, pH and dissolved solids.
Building a system from the test
| Finding | Possible stage |
|---|---|
| Sand or sediment | Sediment filtration |
| Iron or orange staining | Iron filtration or oxidation plus filtration |
| Rotten-egg odor | Aeration or oxidizing filtration |
| Hardness | Ion-exchange softening |
| Drinking water polish | Under-sink alkaline RO |
Bacteria are a separate question for disinfection; read UV vs. reverse osmosis for well water.
Irrigation wells and the rules
Homestead's landscape irrigation ordinance applies to private wells, and so do Miami-Dade's county-wide restrictions outside the city. The city's new Cross-Connection Control Program also lists irrigation systems and auxiliary wells as cross-connections that need backflow protection where city water is present. For stains from sprinklers, see orange and rust stains in Homestead.
Start with a free assessment
Jorge tests at the wellhead and the kitchen tap and explains what each number means. For cost factors, see well water treatment system cost in Florida. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.floridahealth.gov/community-environmental-public-health/environmental-public-health/water-quality/drinking-water/private-wells/
https://www.homesteadfl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6143
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/planning/library/reports/2021-draft-urban-expansion-area-report.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/planning/library/reports/2020-09-16-strategic-economic-development-plan-south-dade.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser1536071310599328
https://opendata.miamidade.gov/datasets/potential-properties-served-by-septic-or-well
https://homesteadfl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/156/City-Landscape-Irrigation-Ordinance
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist