City water vs. a private well
| City water | Private well | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Biscayne Aquifer via WASD | Biscayne Aquifer under your lot |
| Treatment | Lime softening, filtration, chloramine | None unless you add it |
| Testing | West Miami and WASD, yearly reports | The owner |
| Typical issues | Chloramine taste | Iron, sulfur, sediment |
If you just bought a home, look for a pump and pressure tank near the irrigation controller; that usually means the sprinklers run from a well rather than city water.
Why the aquifer matters here
West Miami's own Storm Water page explains that the Biscayne Aquifer beneath South Florida is shallow and porous, recharged by rain, and vulnerable to pollutants carried by runoff, adding that "we live and work over the water we drink." A treatment plant handles that for city water; a private well has no such step, so its owner has to test.
Rules and checks
- Miami-Dade's outdoor watering restrictions apply to private wells: odd addresses Wednesday and Saturday, even addresses Thursday and Sunday, before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
- Miami-Dade's open-data list of properties potentially served by septic or wells can help confirm what a property has.
- Any connection between a well and household plumbing needs proper backflow protection.
If you drink from a well
The Florida Department of Health says private well owners are responsible for their own water. It recommends bacteria and nitrate testing at least yearly, and coliform, nitrate and lead testing when a home is sold. Jorge adds iron, hardness, pH, odor and dissolved solids, which drive equipment design.
Treatment options
- Iron: iron filtration, often with oxidation.
- Sulfur odor: aeration or oxidizing filtration.
- Hardness: ion-exchange softening.
- Drinking water: under-sink alkaline RO after upstream stages.
See the well water system and UV vs. RO for wells.
For irrigation-only wells the goal is narrower: stop stains on walls and walkways and keep sprinkler heads clear. That can mean a single iron-focused stage on the irrigation line, sized to the pump's flow, rather than a full household system.
Free assessment
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. Cost factors: well water treatment cost in Florida.
Jorge samples at the wellhead or irrigation line and at the kitchen tap, and explains each reading in plain words.
https://westmiamifl.govoffice3.com/vertical/Sites/%7B43D8A331-4B65-45FE-843C-E0F6FE3CD0E8%7D/uploads/2025_WATER_QUALITY_REPORT_FOR_THE_CITY_OF_WEST_MIAMI.pdf
https://cityofwestmiami.gov/index.asp?SEC=9C613BD2-D208-4A49-9DC5-F6586DEB80EC
https://www.floridahealth.gov/community-environmental-public-health/environmental-public-health/water-quality/drinking-water/private-wells/
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/water/conservation/outdoor-water-restrictions.page
https://opendata.miamidade.gov/datasets/potential-properties-served-by-septic-or-well
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist