Margate Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Margate, Florida, in central Broward County — a major Broward County residential community with a substantial Jewish-American community and one of the largest concentrations of senior residents in South Florida — draws its municipal water supply from the Biscayne Aquifer via the City of Margate Utility Department, applying reverse osmosis (RO) membrane treatment and conventional treatment to the naturally very hard Broward County coastal aquifer. Water hardness in Margate measures 271.5 mg/L — classified as very hard.

Margate's very hard supply — higher than Coconut Creek (107 mg/L) and West Hollywood–Hollywood, FL (165 mg/L) but lower than the raw Biscayne Aquifer (300–500 mg/L) — reflects a lower RO blending ratio in the Margate utility program. The raw Biscayne Aquifer in central Broward County is very hard (350–450+ mg/L) from the calcareous Fort Lauderdale Limestone and Anastasia Formation (Pleistocene carbonate formations). The City of Margate Utility Department applies RO treatment to a portion of its supply, but the Margate blend appears to retain a higher fraction of conventionally treated (unsoftened) Biscayne water, producing the higher 271.5 mg/L at the household tap.

At 271.5 mg/L, Margate residents face significant hard water challenges. Scale deposits form rapidly on all fixtures and tile — monthly descaling with citric acid solution is essential maintenance. City of Margate Utility Department consistently delivers water meeting all Florida DEP and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.