Lead in Miami Water: Where It Comes From and How to Reduce It
Lead almost never comes from the water treatment plant. It gets into water inside buildings, from older pipes, lead solder and brass fixtures, especially when water sits in them overnight. Health agencies say there is no known safe level of lead exposure for children. The most reliable way to reduce it is a filter at the tap you drink from, certified for lead.
How Lead Gets Into Tap Water
Water leaving the plant is treated to be less corrosive, so it doesn't strip metal from pipes. Lead can still dissolve from plumbing along the way: a lead service line connecting the home to the street, lead solder on copper pipes, or older brass faucets and valves. The longer water sits still, the more lead it can pick up.
Which Homes Are Most at Risk
Built before 1986. The 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments banned lead pipes and lead solder in drinking water plumbing.
Older faucets and fixtures. Until 2014, "lead-free" brass could still contain up to 8% lead. Today's limit is 0.25%.
Recent plumbing work. Repairs can disturb older pipes and release particles.
Low-use taps. Guest baths and rarely used faucets hold water longer.
Why It Matters
The CDC says no safe blood lead level in children has been identified, and the EPA's health goal for lead in drinking water is zero. In children, lead exposure is linked to learning and behavior problems. In adults, it's linked to high blood pressure and kidney problems. Pregnant women and young children face the greatest risk. Lead has no taste, color or smell, so you can't tell it's there.
What's Changing in the Rules
The EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, finalized in October 2024, require most water systems to replace lead service lines within 10 years and lower the action level from 15 to 10 parts per billion. Water systems must comply starting in 2027. Utilities also publish inventories of service line materials, so check whether the county lists your address as lead, non-lead or unknown.
Simple Steps You Can Take Today
1. Run the cold tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before drinking if water has sat for hours.
2. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking and baby formula. Hot water dissolves more lead.
3. Clean faucet aerators every few months, since they can trap particles.
4. Filter at the tap with a system certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 for lead.
Which System Handles This
Drinking and cooking water: the Micromax 8500 reverse osmosis system filters water at the kitchen sink, after it has passed through your home's plumbing. It's certified under NSF/ANSI 53 and 58.
Note on whole-home systems: the Hydronex is certified to NSF/ANSI 372, which means its own parts are lead-free. It isn't a lead-removal certification, and water can still pick up lead from pipes after it leaves a whole-home system. That's why filtering at the tap matters.