MIRAMAR, Fla. – Hundreds of residents are dealing with costly pipe repairs in Miramar. Many homeowners think the method the city uses to filter their water is to blame, but the city said that isn’t the case.
Angry residents tell Local 10 that they are tired of paying for clean ups and repairs . Most of the homes are only around 20 years old.
The issue is so widespread issue in the city, plumbers said when they get a call from a resident they already know exactly what problem needs to be fixed.
Shawnie Perez is going through Round 2 of major repairs inside her home.
“So, we had two leaks so far. The first was in the summer,” Perez said.
The first leak spanned the ceiling of her house in the Silver Shores subdivision, then there was another around Christmas where a leak was coming from the pipes inside her home.
She said it is the copper pipes in her home. “They have a lot of little pinhole leaks all through the copper pipes,” Perez said.
Perez isn’t the only one. She said hundreds of her neighbors have had the same problem.
Avi Barel owns a plumbing business and said he is doing repairs like the type in Perez’s house at least once a week in Miramar.
“It’s business for me, but I don’t know. I feel bad for the people,” Barel said.
He told Local 10 all the repairs are for leaking pipes. “No fire, not anything is happening — pipes only.
Perez said she has been told that it is the way the city of Miramar treats their water.
The city’s West Water Treatment Plant began using reverse osmosis to filter the water around ten years ago. The city told us they performed tests after hearing the residents’ concerns.
In a statement, Shaun Gayle, assistant city manager, said “The test results confirmed that Miramar’s water quality complies with all parameters of FDEP’s regulations. Pipe leaks can be caused by a myriad of factors other than water quality.”
One resident we spoke with said that he replaced all of the piping in his house after two leaks within 6 months. It cost him $12,000 and he decided to spend the money after a plumber warned him the pipe leaks would most likely keep happening. He said the plumber who performed the work said he suspected water issues, too.
Perez also learned that after two leak related claims, her insurance company said her rates will be going up.