Is Miami, FL tap water safe?
Supplied by MDWASA – Main System · serves 2.4 million people (560,000 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID FL4130871
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Miami gets its water from MDWASA – Main System. Parts of the city are served by 5 smaller systems: MDWASA/Rex Utilities (45,200 people), Americana Village Water System (2,500 people), Silver Palm Mobile Homes Water System (250 people), Redland Mhc, LLC (160 people) and 1 more. Your water bill names your system.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 12.3 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 31.4 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level3.1 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read MDWASA – Main System's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (786) 552-8112.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Nov 2023 to May 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 12.3 ppt 3.09× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 31.4 ppt 7.86× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 8.8 ppt 88% of the limit |
| PFNA Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 5.6 ppt 56% of the limit |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Rounds to the limit Limit 1 | 1.44 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 4.4 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 20.5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 55.6 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 50 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 19.8 ppt |
| 6:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 159 ppt |
| 8:2 FTS Detected, no limit | 8.9 ppt |
Why "rounds to the limit"? the Hazard Index (1.44) is slightly above the number on paper, but EPA compares results after rounding to the limit's precision (4.4 ppt rounds to 4), so it meets the limit as EPA applies it. Close enough to the limit to be worth watching.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 98% of the Florida systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 97% of the Florida systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 11 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.1 ppb lead (Jan 2023 – Dec 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 9.1 ppb (Jun 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 3.1 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 3.5 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 2.5 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 2.3 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Dec 2017 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Jun 2016 | 9.1 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2015 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 2.6 ppb |
| Jan 2011 – Dec 2011 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2008 | 2.8 ppb |
| Jan 2003 – Dec 2005 | 3.6 ppb |
| Jan 2000 – Dec 2002 | 4 ppb |
Lead service lines: MDWASA – Main System publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 3.6 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Vanadium | 1.1 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 440 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.4 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Molybdenum | 5.4 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.17 ppb | – |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.13 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Miami
73 ZIP codes the system reported serving
33031, 33032, 33033, 33101, 33109, 33116, 33122, 33125, 33126, 33127, 33128, 33129, 33130, 33131, 33132, 33133, 33134, 33135, 33136, 33137, 33138, 33139, 33140, 33141, 33142, 33143, 33144, 33145, 33146, 33147, 33149, 33150, 33151, 33152, 33153, 33154, 33155, 33156, 33157, 33158, 33160, 33161, 33162, 33165, 33166, 33167, 33168, 33169, 33170, 33172, 33173, 33174, 33175, 33176, 33177, 33178, 33179, 33180, 33181, 33182, 33183, 33184, 33185, 33186, 33187, 33189, 33190, 33192, 33193, 33194, 33196, 33197, 33283
Nearby utilities
- MDWASA/Rex Utilities Miami · same area · PFAS above limit
- City of Miami Beach Miami Beach · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of West Miami West Miami · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of North Bay Village North Bay Village · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Hialeah Hialeah · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
- Town of Surfside Surfside · 9 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Miami tap water safe to drink?
Most of Miami gets its water from MDWASA – Main System. MDWASA – Main System has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Miami water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of MDWASA – Main System found 11 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 12.3 ppt, PFOS 31.4 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Miami water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for MDWASA – Main System is 3.1 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2023. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for FL4130871: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID FL4130871).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- MDWASA – Main System's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (786) 552-8112.
- MDWASA – Main System website
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.