Water Filtration & Treatment in Palm Beach

Island homes, mainland water

Palm Beach is a barrier island, and its tap water is made across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The City of West Palm Beach Public Utilities Department supplies West Palm Beach plus the Towns of Palm Beach and South Palm Beach; its 2025 report puts the population served at more than 130,000. The Town's own website points residents to West Palm Beach Public Utilities, at 561-822-1300, for things like a leaking public fire hydrant and utility contacts during hurricanes.

So the report that describes your water is West Palm Beach's, posted at wpb.org/WaterReport with a Spanish edition.

South Palm Beach, just south of the Town, is on the same system. If your address is in the unincorporated county rather than the Town, check the name on your bill, since Palm Beach County Water Utilities serves some nearby areas with groundwater instead.

A connection that goes back to Flagler

The link between the island and the mainland water supply is old. West Palm Beach's report traces its system to Henry Flagler, who in 1894 pumped water from the Clear Lake site to supply his Royal Poinciana hotel on Palm Beach island. The city later acquired the plant, the lakes and Grassy Waters Preserve from his company in the 1950s. More than a century on, island homes still drink water drawn from Clear Lake.

From wetland to tap

1. Rain collects in Grassy Waters Preserve, a wetland of about 23 square miles west of the city.
2. It flows about 16 miles east through the M-Canal to Lake Mangonia and then Clear Lake.
3. The city's plant treats it with lime softening, coagulation and settling, carbon and sand filters, ultraviolet light and chloramine. Powdered activated carbon targets taste and odor compounds.

West Palm Beach says its UV system, running since February 2019, is the largest in Florida. Because the source is open water, the city also monitors for algal toxins in season and posts results on its Safe Water Dashboard.

Disinfection and the summer switch

Chloramine is the primary disinfectant. The 2025 report lists a highest running annual average total chlorine residual of 3.2 ppm, within the 4 ppm limit. Every summer the city switches to free chlorine for about 21 days, a step it describes as required, and warns that a chlorine odor may be noticeable. Households with aquariums or home dialysis should get professional guidance during that period. See chloramine filters in Palm Beach.

Other figures worth knowing

• Dissolved solids: 243 ppm (January 2025 sampling), with chloride at 39.5 and sulfate at 36.6, all below secondary standards.
• Fluoride: 0.61 ppm from a January 2025 sample, before Florida's 2025 law took effect. See fluoride.
• PFAS: the 2024 report lists three PFAS detected in UCMR 5 sampling. See PFAS.
• Testing: more than 2,500 tests a month, according to the city.

These figures come from West Palm Beach's own sampling. Because the island sits at the far end of a long distribution system, the disinfectant level at your tap can differ from the plant's numbers; that is one reason a home reading is useful.

What usually fits on the island

• Oceanfront or lakefront condo: under-sink alkaline RO for drinking and cooking; whole-unit options depend on the building.
• Single-family home or estate: a whole-home system sized for many bathrooms, guest houses and pool equipment, often with RO in the kitchen and bar.
• Seasonal residence: equipment that tolerates months without use, plus a plan for the water heater when you return.
• Club, restaurant or hotel: softening only where testing shows equipment needs it. See water softeners.

Every Palm Beach page, 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, water spots, dry skin after showering, PFAS, fluoride, irrigation and private wells. Costs: filtration, reverse osmosis, softener. Testing: home water testing.

Mainland neighbors: West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach.

Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974. Jorge tests at your tap, explains the results next to the city's report, 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