Welcome to the Miami-Dade County Water Treatment Plants! Click Here to see where I found the information below!
Biscayne Aquifer
The Biscayne Aquifer is located just below land surface in South Florida. It is made out of porous rock with tiny cracks and holes. Rain water then seeps in and fills these tiny cracks and holes.
This water is often referred to as groundwater or the water table, and provides virtually all of the water that is used by South Florida residents, visitors and businesses. This water is generally clean due to the effects of natural filtration.
The water is actually flowing like an underground river at a very slow rate. It travels in an east-southeasterly direction at a rate of only about two feet per day. However, where there are very large openings or man-made canals the flow rate can increase substantially. Because this drinking water supply is so close to the surface (barely a few feet down in most places), it is especially prone to contamination.
This is why efforts are made to protect the groundwater. Miami-Dade County, in cooperation with other local, state and federal agencies, works to safeguard the supply source for drinking water. This may result in environmental regulations for businesses in the South Florida area being more stringent than other areas of the country, but it is necessary to protect the health of everyone dependent on clean water.
Being proactive can also prevent expensive water treatment processes at our water treatment plants
Water suppliers use a variety of treatment processes to remove contaminants from drinking water. The most commonly used processes include filtration, flocculation and sedimentation, softening, and disinfection. Additional treatments include ion exchange and adsorption. A typical water treatment plant would have only the combination of processes needed to treat the contaminants in the source water used by the facility. If you want to know what types of treatments are used for your water supply, contact your local water supplier or public works department.
Water Fluoridation
The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department’s three regional water plants fluoridate the water during the treatment process. Fluoride is a compound that contains fluorine, one of the most plentiful elements on earth. It occurs naturally in water supplies.
According to the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, “using small amounts of fluoride on a routine basis can help prevent tooth decay.” Both the American Dental Association and the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that fluoride be added to community water supplies in areas where fluoride does not occur naturally. Fluoridation is also endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which considers “community water fluoridation as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.”
Whereas fluoridated drinking water provides only about one-third to one-half the amount of fluoride that an individual should be getting on a daily basis, it is a benefit that cuts across socio-economic dividers, offering everyone equal health benefits.
The American Dental Association supports community water fluoridation as the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay: “Water Fluoridation is a powerful strategy to reduce disparities in tooth decay among different populations and is more cost-effective than other forms of fluoride treatments or applications.”
Facts about fluoridation in tap water:
- Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in both surface water and groundwater.
- Since 1958, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department has adjusted the existing natural fluoride level of 0.2 parts per million in the water to the optimal range for dental health of 0.7 parts per million.
- Fluoride helps teeth resist decay by strengthening the protective layer of tooth enamel and can reverse newly formed cavities.
- Community water fluoridation is supported by most major national and international health service organizations. Supporters include the American Dental Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Fluoridation does not change the taste, odor or appearance of your water.
- No evidence exists that fluoridated water at the levels prescribed for human consumption is harmful to animals or pets..
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
Reverse osmosis is a process used to purify concentrated solutions of dissolved minerals and salts. Reverse osmosis involves forcing water through a semipermeable membrane under high pressure, leaving the dissolved salts and other solutes behind on the surface of the membrane.
City of Hialeah Water Treatment Where this information was found is Here.
YOUR DRINKING WATER SOURCE: THE BISCAYNE AND UPPER FLORIDAN AQUIFERS We purchase most of our water from Miami-Dade County. In addition, the new Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant provides 7.5 million gallons of water per day to serve the residents of the City of Hialeah and Miami-Dade County. Miami Dade obtains our water from the Biscayne Aquifer, an under-ground geological formation where freshwater is stored. It has been a reliable water source since the early 1920s. Water from the Biscayne Aquifer is pumped to treatment facilities, including the Hialeah Water Treatment Plant and the John E. Preston Water Treatment Plant, owned and operated by Miami-Dade County. The Hialeah Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment plant, jointly owned by the City of Hialeah and Miami-Dade County, obtains water from the Floridan Aquifer, a much deeper aquifer with consistently high quality source water. Hialeah residents use approximately 24 million gallons of water per day.
The below is found on page 3 of the clickable document just above labeled “Here”.
Total Trihalomethanes (ppb) (d) By – product of drinking water chlorination
Haloacetic Acids (ppb) (d) By – product of drinking water chlorination
Chloramines (ppm) (f) Water additive used to control microbes
Chlorine (ppm) (f) Water additive used to control microbes
That’s about as much as I can dig up on Miami-Dade County Florida….. Are you Surprised at what they put in Your Water???