What the plants already do
The City of Miami Beach buys water from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD), mainly from the Hialeah and John E. Preston plants. WASD describes lime treatment at Hialeah and a process called enhanced softening at Preston, both of which lower hardness from the limestone Biscayne Aquifer. The city then distributes the water across the island.
Lowered hardness is not zero hardness. Where water evaporates or gets heated, minerals can still build up.
Who on the Beach looks at softeners
| User | Why |
|---|---|
| Hotels | Large water heaters, laundry and guest bathrooms all collect scale. |
| Restaurants and bars | Dishwashers, ice machines and coffee equipment are sensitive to minerals. |
| Laundries and gyms | Heavy hot-water use speeds up scale. |
| Single-family homes | Glass shower doors, fixtures and water heaters. |
| Condo owners | Usually limited to unit-level options; whole-unit softening depends on plumbing and association rules. |
Living Water installs ion-exchange softening plants for homes and businesses, including hotels, restaurants, laundries, offices and gyms.
How ion exchange works
Water flows through resin beads that trade calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium. When the resin is full, the unit regenerates with brine and flushes to a drain. Softening does not remove chloramine. For that, see chloramine filters on Miami Beach.
Before you buy
- Get a hardness reading at your tap, not a guess from a zip code.
- Confirm there is a drain near the install spot.
- For businesses, share daily water use and hot-water equipment so the system is sized right.
- In buildings, check association or landlord approval.
Compare approaches in salt-free conditioner vs. ion-exchange softener.
Track the water you use
Miami Beach finished installing smart water meters in fall 2023, and customers can follow usage in real time through the EyeOnWater app, according to the city. That is handy after a softener install: you can see regeneration water use and catch leaks early.
Softened water and drinking water
Softening adds a small amount of sodium in exchange for the hardness it removes. Many households and restaurants keep a separate RO tap for drinking and cooking.
Book a hardness test
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. See also what drives softener cost on Miami Beach.
https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-Water-Quality-Brochure-2025-final.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/city-hall/public-works/water-conservation/
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist