The Cleaner, Greener, More Affordable Water Cooler for Miami – Fort Lauderdale

Miami – Fort Lauderdale is a coastal region in southeastern Florida that sits between the Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east. So, it comes as no surprise that Miami means “Big Water”, from the Tequesta tribe “May aimi”. European settlers began exploring southeastern Florida in the 1500s, attracted to the abundance of fresh water from the Miami River. Early residents transformed the region into a gateway for international trade. They dredged and widened the rivers, created canals for trade ships, and extended the Florida East Coast Railroad to the city. Settlers also drained large parts of the Everglades to create fertile farmland for produce, like oranges, guava, and grapefruit.

Fort Lauderdale is just 25 miles north of Miami. It started as a series of forts named after Major William Lauderdale built during the Second Seminole War. Altogether, 3 forts would be constructed: the first at the fork of New River; the second at Tarpon Bend; and the largest on the beach at the site of Bahia Mar. The area remained mostly uninhabited until a real-estate boom in South Florida during the 1920s. City planners constructed the famous Fort Lauderdale canals by clearing mangroves and creating the first “finger islands”. These canals gave Fort Lauderdale its nickname: “Venice of America”.

By the 1940s, the region had grown into a center for international trade and tourism but residents began complaining that their drinking water tasted salty, and the post-World War II population boom further compromised Miami-Fort Lauderdale water quality. Finally, in 1955, a U.S. Geological Survey explored the “salty” Miami drinking water. In the past, water content in the Everglades had high levels of freshwater. However, draining the Everglades and Biscayne Bay caused salty water from the ocean to push inland, a trend that continues today.

About 90% of South Florida’s drinking water is provided through municipal wells pumping fresh water from the Biscayne Bay Aquifer. The large aquifer extends from Palm Beach County to Florida Bay. A recent Miami Water Quality report identified 100 potential sources of contamination for this system with low to high susceptibility levels. The City of Fort Lauderdale also sources water from the Biscayne Aquifer. Before water reaches the faucet, it travels from the Biscayne Aquifer to one of two treatment plants – Fiveash, a lime softening plant, or Peele Dixie, a nanofiltration membrane plant.

According to the recent Fort Lauderdale Water Quality report, lead and copper may contaminate tap water due to corrosion of household plumbing systems. Although Fort Lauderdale drinking water meets safety requirements, it may also contain low levels of barium, fluoride, nitrite, and sodium.