North Lauderdale's water in brief
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who supplies it | City of North Lauderdale Public Works & Utilities Department |
| Source | Groundwater wells in the Biscayne Aquifer |
| Treatment | Aeration, traditional lime softening, filtration |
| Disinfectant | Chloramines |
| Production | About 1.2 billion gallons a year, with the plant staffed around the clock |
| Questions | (954) 724-7070 |
The annual Water Quality Report is linked from the Water Plant page on the City's website, with Spanish and Kreyol versions of recent editions. If your water bill comes from a different utility, use that utility's report instead.
What the 2025 report shows
- Chloramine residual: listed as chlorine, with a highest running annual average of 2.0 ppm and samples from 0.4 to 3.4 ppm, under the 4.0 limit.
- Disinfection byproducts: HAA5 at 23.44 ppb and TTHM at 22.14 ppb, well under limits of 60 and 80.
- Fluoride: 0.39 to 0.76 ppm, sampled January to June 2025.
- Sodium: 30.0 ppm.
- Lead: the 90th percentile in the latest tap sampling was 1.7 ppb, and the City's service line inventory identified no lead service lines.
In 2025 the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's source water assessment found three potential sources of contamination near the City's wells, all with a low susceptibility level.
The 2025 report says the Utilities Department completed a new raw water well, well #4, in March 2026, that engineers have been consulted on the design of a nanofiltration plant, and that it is nearly finished replacing all water meters with AMI electronic meters for early leak detection. The City also maintains more than 840 fire hydrants and flushes a portion each year to remove sediment.
Aeration and lime: what they do
Aeration lets gases escape from the raw groundwater; the report says the City uses aeration, lime softening and other chemicals to remove odor, minerals and particles. Lime softening takes out much of the calcium the water picks up in the limestone aquifer. Filtration catches the smaller particles before chloramines are added. That is why many North Lauderdale homes on City water do not need a softener, and why a common complaint is the disinfectant, not scale.
Chloramine and the yearly free chlorine weeks
Chloramine is chlorine combined with ammonia. It lasts longer in the pipes, which is why utilities use it, but ordinary carbon filters struggle with it. Once a year the City switches temporarily to free chlorine and flushes hydrants as preventive maintenance; in 2024 that ran from September 19 to October 18. The notice says some people may notice a slight change in taste or odor and suggests customers with inline filters check with the equipment maker. See chloramine filters in North Lauderdale.
Why a test still matters on treated water
The City's numbers describe the whole system. What you notice at home depends on the last stretch: how far your street is from the plant, how long water sits in your pipes, the age of your plumbing and your water heater. In 2025 the City's chloramine samples ranged from 0.4 to 3.4 ppm, a wide spread, so two neighbors can have very different experiences of the same water. A reading at your own tap turns a general complaint into a number you can act on, and it often shows that a smaller, cheaper fix is enough. Sometimes it shows that nothing is needed at all, and Jorge will say so.
What fits a North Lauderdale home
- Single-family home: a whole-home city water system for chloramine at every tap, often with under-sink alkaline RO in the kitchen.
- Condo, villa or apartment: under-sink RO, since shared plumbing limits main-line work.
- Business on McNab Road or Southgate Boulevard: an ion-exchange softening plant where equipment needs scale protection, after testing. See water softeners.
- Irrigation or private well: treatment configured from the well's test. See well water.
Every North Lauderdale topic, and how to book
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.
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. He tests at your tap, explains the results 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.
https://www.nlauderdale.org/departments/public_works/water_plant.php
https://www.nlauderdale.org/2025%20CCR.pdf
https://www.nlauderdale.org/NL%20FREE%20CHLORINATION%202024.pdf
https://flsenate.gov/Committees/billsummaries/2025/html/700
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist