From the Orr plant to your street
Water for homes south of SW 8 Street, including all of Westchester, comes mainly from WASD's Alexander Orr, Jr. plant on the county's common distribution system. WASD's report describes two disinfection steps: chlorine as the primary disinfectant, then ammonia to combine with it and form chloramine, which keeps protecting the water through the distribution system. The chloramine you smell in the shower is that residual doing its job.
Free-chlorine weeks
WASD periodically converts the system to free chlorine for system maintenance. The City of Doral, for instance, posted a WASD notice for September 9 to 22, 2024, telling residents they might notice a stronger chlorine taste or odor. Westchester is on the same system, so a filter here should handle both chlorine and chloramine.
Why plain carbon can struggle
Ordinary activated carbon reduces free chlorine quickly. Chloramine reacts more slowly, so a filter that is fine for chlorine can let more chloramine through at the high flow of a shower. Common design answers:
- Catalytic carbon or other media made for chloramine
- More media, for longer contact time
- Sizing to the household's real peak flow
Full explanation: choosing a filter for chloramine.
Certification to look for
Look for NSF/ANSI 42 certification that specifically lists chloramine reduction, and check the exact model on the certifier's public listing. Ask for the rated capacity and flow. Living Water describes its Puronics Clarius iGen and Goodspring whole-home city water systems as removing chlorine and chloramine; Jorge will show you the specifics of the model he recommends.
Where to filter
| Goal | What fits |
|---|---|
| No chloramine smell in showers and every tap | Whole-home system on the main line |
| Better drinking water only | Under-sink alkaline RO |
| Both | Whole-home plus RO at the kitchen |
Many households start with an under-sink system and add whole-home treatment later; the two work together.
Signs chloramine is what you are noticing
- A pool-like smell that is strongest in a hot, closed shower
- A chemical note in coffee, tea or ice that disappears with filtered water
- The smell changing for a couple of weeks at a time, which lines up with WASD's free-chlorine maintenance periods
- Neighbors across Westchester describing the same thing, since everyone south of SW 8 Street shares the Orr supply
If instead the smell is like rotten eggs, that is a different issue; see rotten-egg smell in Westchester.
Measure it
Jorge measures total chlorine at your tap so you know what you are filtering, and can recheck after installation. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.cityofdoral.com/News-articles/Miami-Dade-Water-and-Sewer-Department-WASD-Chlorine-Conversion
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist