Plant softening north and south of the Trail
WASD's 2025 report describes three softening approaches that can reach Tamiami homes. Orr water, which WASD says serves customers south of SW 8 Street, receives lime treatment to reduce hardness. Water from the Hialeah plant, which serves areas north of SW 8 Street along with Preston, is treated similarly to Orr. Preston's source water has more natural organic material, so it goes through enhanced softening. All of it then shares one distribution system.
The takeaway: a Tamiami home on county water should not be sold a softener on the assumption that South Florida water is hard. Measure it.
For water quality questions, WASD lists 786-552-4181 for the Orr plant and 786-552-4738 for Preston.
When a softener makes sense
- Hardness at your tap is high enough that spots and crust return quickly
- A tankless water heater or appliance manual calls for softened water
- The home uses a private well, which gets no plant softening
- A business, such as a restaurant, laundromat, car wash, salon or gym on the Trail, needs scale protection for equipment
How ion exchange works
Resin beads exchange calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium. When the resin is loaded, the softener regenerates with brine and rinses to a drain. You refill salt or potassium periodically. Salt-free conditioners work differently; compare in salt-free conditioner vs. ion-exchange softener.
What a softener will not do
It will not reduce chloramine. Since WASD disinfects with chloramine, the more common Tamiami complaint is smell and taste, which a whole-home filter addresses. If you have both complaints, see softener vs. filter in Tamiami.
Tamiami homeowners sometimes buy a softener expecting it to fix the smell, then find the pool-like odor unchanged; testing first avoids that.
Sodium and your drinking water
WASD reports main-system sodium at 33 ppm. A softener adds some sodium in proportion to the hardness it removes. Households who prefer low-mineral drinking water often add under-sink RO at the kitchen sink.
Measure first
Jorge measures hardness at your tap during the free visit and tells you plainly whether a softener would change anything. For cost drivers see water softener cost in Tamiami. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
If a softener is not justified by the number, he will tell you, and the test costs you nothing.
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist