Three water providers in one city
The City of Miami Gardens' Comprehensive Development Master Plan lists three entities that provide potable water inside the city: Miami-Dade WASD, the City of North Miami Beach (its utility now goes by NMB Water) and the City of Opa-locka. The city is a retail customer of all three, which is why two neighbors a few blocks apart can get different bills from different utilities.
- NMB Water: treats water at the Norwood Water Treatment Plant, 19150 NW 8 Avenue, within Miami Gardens. NMB's 2025 Water Quality Report says the utility serves roughly 180,000 people in North Miami Beach, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Gardens, Golden Beach and parts of unincorporated Miami-Dade.
- Miami-Dade WASD: according to the city's plan, WASD serves its part of Miami Gardens primarily through the Hialeah and John E. Preston treatment plants.
- Opa-locka: the plan describes a small portion of Miami Gardens near the southern city limit at NW 151 Street served through Opa-locka's distribution system, with the water itself supplied by Miami-Dade County.
The simplest way to know yours: look at the name on your water bill.
How each utility treats the water
NMB Water pumps groundwater from two aquifers through production wells that range from about 60 to 1,250 feet deep. Shallow Biscayne Aquifer water is treated by lime softening and/or nanofiltration; brackish water from the deep Floridan Aquifer goes through reverse osmosis. The streams are blended and disinfected before they enter the pipes. NMB's report also says it plans to retire the lime softening process.
WASD treats Biscayne Aquifer water at its Hialeah and Preston plants. Its Water Quality Report describes lime softening at Hialeah plus air stripping, and an enhanced softening process at Preston, followed by air stripping towers that remove volatile organic compounds.
Different treatment trains are one reason taste and scale can vary across Miami Gardens. A test at your own tap settles it.
Chloramine, and the weeks the water smells stronger
Both main utilities use chloramine, chlorine combined with ammonia, to keep the water disinfected through miles of pipe. NMB Water's 2025 report lists chloramine as the disinfectant it monitors in the distribution system, and WASD's report explains the same chlorine-plus-ammonia approach.
Once a year each utility switches to free chlorine for about two weeks and flushes hydrants. WASD's 2025 conversion ran October 13 to 26, and NMB has done the same at the Norwood plant. During those weeks you may notice a stronger chlorine smell or brief cloudiness. See the chloramine filter page for why ordinary carbon can struggle with chloramine.
Fluoride and newer contaminants
Fluoride is no longer added. NMB Water stopped adding it on June 9, 2025, and Miami-Dade stopped on May 29, 2025, ahead of a Florida law that took effect July 1, 2025. Trace natural fluoride remains. NMB's 2025 report also covers PFAS testing and notes that its reverse osmosis and nanofiltration processes reduce PFAS. Details are on the fluoride and PFAS pages.
What fits a Miami Gardens home
| Situation | Usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family house in Carol City, Norland or Scott Lake | Whole-home city water system, often with under-sink RO | Treats every shower and tap for chloramine taste and odor; RO for drinking and cooking. |
| Townhome or apartment | Under-sink alkaline reverse osmosis | Fits in the kitchen cabinet without touching the main line. |
| House with an irrigation well | Well treatment or iron control for the irrigation line | Well water skips utility treatment; iron and sulfur are common complaints. |
| Restaurant, salon, gym or laundry | Ion-exchange softener, sometimes with filtration | Scale shortens the life of water heaters and equipment. |
Browse systems on the products page.
Every Miami Gardens water guide
- Whole-home filtration and chlorine and chloramine filters
- Water softeners, softener vs. filter and hard water spots and scale
- Under-sink reverse osmosis and the best drinking water system
- Home water testing
- Costs: filtration, reverse osmosis, softeners
- Problems: rotten-egg smell, orange and rust stains, dry skin after showering
- Well water treatment, PFAS filters, fluoride filters
How the free test works
- Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974.
- He tests at your tap for things like chlorine or chloramine, hardness, iron and total dissolved solids.
- You get plain-language results and, if your water does not need a system, he says so.
- If something fits, you get an itemized quote. Living Water also offers financing through its financing partners with a credit application, and a co-applicant can apply with you.
Nearby: Aventura, Hialeah and Miami.
https://www.miamigardens-fl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8231/CDMP---Infrastructure-Element-DataInventory-Analysis
https://www.citynmb.com/DocumentCenter/View/14691/2025-CCR-ENGLISH-web-version
https://www.citynmb.com/906/Fluoride
https://www.citynmb.com/DocumentCenter/View/8844/Drops-of-Knowledge-January-2022
https://www.miamidade.gov/water/library/reports/water-quality-2024.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/water/water-supply-and-treatment.page
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/release.page?Mduid_release=rel1760030439045816
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist