Water Filtration & Treatment in Sweetwater

Who handles what in Sweetwater

The city's Public Works information guide is direct about it: all water and sewer services within the City of Sweetwater are operated and maintained by WASD, with the exception of septic tank systems. The city does own and manage the public stormwater system.

The plants behind your tap

WASD's 2025 Water Quality Report says that, in general, homes north of SW 8 Street receive water from the Hialeah and John E. Preston plants, while the Alexander Orr, Jr. plant serves homes south of SW 8 Street. Sweetwater City Hall, at 500 SW 109 Avenue, sits north of SW 8 Street, and the city's own history describes the state university as lying to its south. If your address is right along Tamiami Trail, WASD can confirm which plant normally feeds your street.

• Hialeah plant: lime treatment to reduce hardness, plus air stripping to remove volatile organic compounds.
• John E. Preston plant: enhanced softening because its source water has more natural organic material, then air stripping, which WASD says reduces a yellow tint once present in its water.

All of it comes from the Biscayne Aquifer, a shallow limestone aquifer that WASD draws on for most of its supply.

Numbers from WASD's 2025 report

• Chloramine: 2.5 ppm in the main system, ranging from not detected to 4.0. See chloramine filters in Sweetwater.
• Fluoride: no longer added since June 6, 2025; natural levels of 0.1 to 0.3 ppm remain. See fluoride filters.
• Sodium: 33 ppm.
• Disinfection byproducts: TTHM 50 ppb and HAA5 34 ppb, under limits of 80 and 60.
• PFAS: monitoring results are listed in a separate table. See PFAS filters.

Lead, pipes and the yearly chlorine switch

WASD adds a phosphorous compound for corrosion control, which helps limit what pipes and home plumbing release into the water. Its 2025 report lists lead at the tap at 3.2 ppb at the 90th percentile, with 1 of 102 sampled homes above the action level, and points residents to its service line inventory at miamidade.gov/knowyourpipes. Older homes can still have plumbing that matters more than anything at the plant, which is one more reason to test at your own tap.

Once a year WASD swaps chloramine for free chlorine for about two weeks to clean the distribution system. In 2026 it ran from September 28 through October 11. You may notice a stronger chlorine smell and see hydrant flushing.

Septic tanks still exist here

Because WASD's sewer does not reach every property, some Sweetwater lots still use septic tanks, and the city's Building and Zoning Department permits septic tank and drain field work. That matters for anyone with a private well nearby: the Florida Department of Health notes that bacteria and nitrate can reach groundwater through poorly maintained septic systems. See well water in Sweetwater.

What fits a Sweetwater home or business

The city describes itself as almost fully built out, with about 6,441 housing units, 14 shopping centers and more than 600 businesses.

• Apartment or condo: under-sink alkaline RO, with the owner's or association's approval.
• House or townhome: a whole-home system for chloramine, often with RO in the kitchen.
• Restaurant, bakery, salon or laundry: an ion-exchange softening plant where scale costs money.

Every Sweetwater 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, wells and septic areas.

Costs: filtration, reverse osmosis, softeners. Testing: home water testing.

Nearby: Doral, Westchester, Tamiami and Miami.

Your free water test: call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. He tests at your tap, explains what the readings mean in plain words, and recommends a system only if it fits. If you do not need one, he tells you. If you do, you get an itemized quote, and 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