Water Filtration & Treatment in Miami Shores

Who handles what in Miami Shores

The Village's Public Works FAQ lays out this split. The Village handles streets, swales and stormwater; the county handles the pipes that carry your drinking water.

Where the water comes from and how it is treated

WASD's 2025 Water Quality Report says water from its Hialeah and John E. Preston plants comes solely from the Biscayne Aquifer. In general, those two plants supply residents north of SW 8 Street up to the Broward line, which includes Miami Shores, though all three regional plants feed a common distribution system.

• Hialeah plant: lime softening, disinfection, filtration, plus air stripping to remove volatile organic compounds.
• John E. Preston plant: its source water has more natural organic material, so it uses enhanced softening and air stripping, which WASD says also reduced the yellow tint that water once had.
• Disinfection: chlorine is added, then ammonia combines with it to form chloramine, the disinfectant that travels to your tap.
• Corrosion control: a phosphorus compound is added to reduce corrosion in pipes and home plumbing.

One practical consequence of the common distribution system: on any given day, water at a Miami Shores tap may be a blend from more than one plant. The treatment steps differ slightly, but the disinfectant, chloramine, is the same throughout the main system. That is why Jorge measures at your tap instead of assuming a single plant's profile.

Key numbers from WASD's 2025 report (main system)

• Chloramines: 2.5 ppm running annual average (range not detected to 4.0), limit 4.
• Sodium: 33 ppm.
• Fluoride: WASD stopped adding fluoride on June 6, 2025; main-system levels since then range from 0.1 to 0.3 ppm from natural sources.
• TTHM 50 ppb and HAA5 34 ppb, under limits of 80 and 60.
• PFAS: a separate table lists results for PFOA, PFOS and others, with a note that initial compliance monitoring is underway. See PFAS in Miami Shores.

WASD has also published a lead service line inventory at miamidade.gov/knowyourpipes, where you can look up your address.

Septic, sewer and the Shores Estates project

Not every Miami Shores home is on a central sewer. The Village runs a septic-to-sewer conversion program, and its Shores Estates project is converting that neighborhood from septic systems to a centralized sewer connected to the City of North Miami's wastewater infrastructure. Why this matters for water treatment: a softener or backwashing filter discharges rinse water, and where that water goes should be planned with your septic or sewer connection in mind. Jorge checks this on every visit.

Not long ago, many South Florida homeowners noticed a different smell or taste after the county's fluoride change or during periodic disinfection maintenance. If you remember the water tasting different at some point, those system-wide changes are often why, and a tap test shows where things stand today.

What fits a Miami Shores home

• Older single-family homes: many households pair a whole-home chloramine system with an under-sink alkaline RO.
• Apartments and condos near Biscayne Boulevard: under-sink RO for drinking and cooking water.
• Homes with irrigation wells: separate attention for sprinkler stains and smells; see orange stains.
• Restaurants and offices: commercial softening or drinking-water systems after testing.

Septic properties also deserve a thought about what goes down the drain in general. Water treatment equipment is one of several household discharges, alongside laundry and irrigation runoff, and the Village's conversion program reflects how seriously the area takes groundwater protection under a porous limestone aquifer.

Every Miami Shores topic

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.

Every recommendation starts from your test. A one-bedroom apartment on Biscayne Boulevard and a four-bedroom house with a pool and a sprinkler well have very different water needs, even though both receive the same WASD supply at the meter.

Book a free test

Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. He tests chloramine, hardness, pH, dissolved solids and iron at your tap, explains the numbers 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