What arrives at your sink
The island's water is lake water from Clear Lake, treated on the mainland with lime softening, carbon and sand filtration, UV and chloramine. The 2025 report lists chloramine at a highest annual average of 3.2 ppm, chloride at 39.5 ppm and sulfate at 36.6 ppm. None of that is out of standard; it is what shapes the taste in the glass.
Because the source is open lake water rather than an aquifer, the city also uses powdered activated carbon to manage taste and odor compounds, and its UV system adds another treatment step. Even so, what reaches a kitchen on the island has traveled a long way through mains and carries its disinfectant the whole way. That is the part an under-sink RO's carbon stages are there to handle.
What the RO handles
- Chloramine taste and odor, through carbon before and after the membrane.
- Dissolved solids, through the membrane.
- Specific contaminants only if the exact model is certified for them, usually under NSF/ANSI 58.
Kitchens, pantries and bars
Larger homes often have more than one place where drinking water matters: the main kitchen, a butler's pantry, a bar, a pool cabana. Each RO serves the faucet it is installed at, so plan where people actually pour water and fill ice. A fridge or ice maker line can run from the same unit.
Coffee and espresso machines are worth checking separately: some manufacturers specify water hardness or mineral ranges, and very low-mineral water is not always recommended. The alkaline stage on Living Water's units adds minerals back, but follow your machine's guidance.
Condos and apartments
In oceanfront and lakefront buildings, under-sink RO is usually the most practical upgrade because it does not touch shared plumbing. Check your association's rules on contractors and work hours before scheduling. Tankless units help in tight cabinets; see tankless vs. tank RO.
Alkaline or standard
The alkaline stage adds minerals after the membrane for taste. See alkaline vs. standard RO.
Some households try both side by side before deciding. Jorge can explain the difference at your sink so you choose on taste rather than marketing.
Book a test
Jorge measures dissolved solids and chlorine at your tap and shows what RO would change. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.wpb.org/files/assets/city/v/2/public-utilities/documents/water-quality-reports/2025westpalmbeach-webreport.pdf
https://www.wpb.org/Departments/Public-Utilities/UV-System-and-Water-Plant
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist