A city plant plus county water
According to the city's Water Plant page, the Winson plant can supply 9.3 million gallons a day and averages about 8.7, which covers roughly 60% of the system's total demand of about 13.5 million gallons a day. The other 40% is purchased from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department through interconnects in the distribution system. Both sources are Biscayne Aquifer groundwater, treated before it reaches you.
The city's 2025 Water Quality Report says its system has more than 300 miles of water lines serving over 90,000 people across about 13 square miles: the City of North Miami plus portions of unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Miami Shores and Biscayne Park. It also keeps an emergency interconnect with North Miami Beach.
How the Winson plant treats water
- Aeration removes carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, the gas behind rotten-egg odors.
- Sodium hypochlorite and lime are added to destroy bacteria and remove minerals such as iron. The report says the Biscayne Aquifer has elevated calcium and magnesium, and lime softening reduces them to prevent buildup in pipes and discoloration of fixtures.
- Anthracite coal filters remove remaining fine particles.
- Sodium hypochlorite and ammonia are added to form chloramine, which keeps the water disinfected through the pipes.
Operators run quality checks every hour, and the plant is staffed 24 hours a day.
Key numbers from the 2025 report
| Parameter | North Miami system |
|---|---|
| Chloramine | 2.0 ppm (range 1.0 to 3.4), limit 4 |
| Total trihalomethanes | 31 ppb, limit 80 |
| Haloacetic acids | 31 ppb, limit 60 |
| Fluoride | 0.17 ppm |
| Sodium | 19.2 ppm |
| Lead at the tap (90th percentile, 2023) | 1.8 ppb, 0 of 30 homes above the action level |
The report also has a separate PFAS monitoring table; see PFAS filters in North Miami.
Useful North Miami contacts
- Winson Water Plant, 24 hours: 305-953-2854, for water quality concerns and after-hours emergencies. The city says it can take a sample from an outside spigot for analysis by a state-certified lab.
- Utility Operation Center: 305-895-9838, including lead testing questions.
- Utility Billing: 305-895-9880.
- Report questions, in Spanish or Haitian Creole: 305-895-9830.
The city also runs a free showerhead exchange for residents at City Hall, 776 NE 125 Street.
Brown water, odors and older pipes
The city answers a few common questions directly. If cold water comes out brown, it is usually because planned or unplanned work shifted calcium carbonate sediment in the pipes; run the first cold tap, usually the kitchen, until it clears, and call the Winson plant if it does not. If the cold tap seems to smell, the city suggests filling a glass and smelling it away from the sink, since the cause is usually bacteria in a drain trap rather than the water. See rotten-egg smell and brown water and stains.
On lead, the city notes that lead pipes were common in homes built until the mid-1950s and were banned in Florida in 1989. North Miami is building an inventory of service lines, including the customer-owned portion from the curb to the tap, and asks residents to check their own line and complete a short survey on its Lead and Copper Rules Revision page.
What fits a North Miami home
- Single-family house: a whole-home city water system for chloramine, often with under-sink alkaline RO.
- Apartment or condo: under-sink RO, with owner or association approval.
- Restaurant, salon or laundry: an ion-exchange softening plant where scale hurts equipment.
- Older home: a test, and a look at the city's service line inventory; see water testing.
Every North Miami water topic
Systems: whole-home filtration, water softeners, under-sink RO, best drinking water system, softener vs. filter.
Problems: chlorine and chloramine, rotten-egg smell, brown water and orange stains, hard water spots, dry skin after showering, PFAS, fluoride, well water.
Costs: filtration, reverse osmosis, softeners.
Nearby: North Miami Beach, Miami Shores and Miami.
Book a free test: call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. He tests at your tap, explains the results, 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.northmiamifl.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23256/Water-Quality-Report-2025-PDF
https://www.northmiamifl.gov/281/Water-Plant
https://northmiamifl.gov/m/faq?cat=22
https://www.northmiamifl.gov/1347/Lead-and-Copper-Rules-Revision-Project
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist