Water in New Jersey.
New Jersey was the first state to regulate PFOA in drinking water (2018) after decades of industrial contamination from DuPont and Chemours facilities. The state's chromium-6 standards are among the strictest in the country.
New Jersey's PFAS regulation predates federal action by six years.
How New Jersey regulates drinking water.
Among the strictest in the U.S. NJ MCLs: PFOA 14 ng/L, PFOS 13 ng/L, PFNA 13 ng/L. Aggressive Lead and Copper Rule enforcement post-Newark crisis.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Bureau of Safe Drinking Water
New Jersey's water history, in order.
The contamination events, regulatory shifts, and major settlements that define how this state thinks about drinking water today.
- 2009
DuPont Chambers Works PFOA contamination identified along Delaware River.
- 2016–2019
Newark lead-in-water crisis: federal action level exceedances; emergency filter distribution.
- 2018
New Jersey sets first U.S. state MCL for PFOA (14 ng/L).
- 2024
Newark completes 23,000+ lead service line replacements in 3 years — fastest in U.S. history.
The actual water you drink.
The physical rivers, aquifers, lakes, and reservoirs that feed New Jersey's public water systems. Source quality is the foundation of tap quality — and where the long-term protection fights happen.
- riverDelaware River
Central + South Jersey.
- riverPassaic + Hackensack Rivers
North Jersey metro.
- aquiferKirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer
Pine Barrens — sole-source aquifer.
- reservoirHackensack Valley reservoirs
Source-water mix
~50% surface water, ~50% groundwater
Major cities served
Newark · Jersey City · Paterson · Elizabeth · Edison · Trenton
Who actually serves the water.
The largest public water systems in New Jersey by population served. Click your ZIP after to see the full live EWG report for your specific utility.
- Newark Department of Water and SewerNewark280Kserved
- New Jersey American WaterMulti-region2,800Kserved
- Suez Water New JerseyHackensack metro750Kserved
- Jersey City Municipal Utilities AuthorityJersey City290Kserved
Where the contamination comes from.
Every state has a different industrial fingerprint. The industries below are the dominant historical and active contamination sources in New Jersey's drinking water systems.
DuPont / Chemours Chambers Works (south Jersey on Delaware) drove decades of PFAS contamination. Newark / Jersey City legacy chlorinated-solvent contamination. South Jersey chromium-6 from industrial plating operations. Multiple Superfund sites per square mile.
What state data flags most consistently.
Drawn from EPA SDWIS sampling records, EWG state summaries, and regional regulatory action over the past five years. Read the full deep dive on each.
PFAS (Forever Chemicals)
A class of ~15,000 synthetic chemicals that don't break down. Now regulated for the first time.
Chromium-6 (Hexavalent Chromium)
The Erin Brockovich chemical. A known carcinogen with no federal-specific limit yet.
Lead
A neurotoxic metal that leaches from old pipes and solder. No safe level for children.
Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Byproducts of chlorinating water. Linked to bladder cancer at chronic exposure.
Risk isn't evenly distributed.
Newark residents in pre-1986 housing faced acute lead exposure 2016–2019. Camden / South Jersey communities face PFAS and industrial contamination.
Newark's rapid full-replacement is a national model.
~12% on private wells, mostly rural northwestern NJ.
What's coming for New Jersey's water.
Sea-level rise threatens coastal NJ wellfields (Pine Barrens edge). Combined sewer overflow events from intense rainfall affect Newark, Jersey City intakes. Saltwater intrusion accelerates in coastal aquifers.
Statewide mandate
NJ N.J.A.C. 6A:26 requires triennial lead testing in all schools serving pre-K through 12. Results published.
Five questions for your next Consumer Confidence Report.
Your utility is required to send you a Consumer Confidence Report annually. Most are dense and procedural. These are the questions worth following up on for New Jersey specifically.
- 1
What are my system's PFOA and PFOS levels vs. NJ's 14 / 13 ng/L MCLs?
- 2
When is my home scheduled for lead service line replacement (Newark model)?
- 3
Has my school posted triennial lead test results?
- 4
Is my system part of an active state-led chromium-6 sampling program?
Most state regulators allow public records requests for the underlying lab reports behind your CCR — your utility should be able to provide them on request.
What's changed in New Jersey water law.
Drinking water regulation moves at the state level as much as the federal level. Below are notable recent bills and regulatory actions specific to New Jersey.
- 2021
Statewide Lead Service Line Replacement Act — 10-year full-replacement mandate.
- 2018
NJ sets first U.S. state MCL for PFOA at 14 ng/L.
For lead: NSF/ANSI 53. For PFAS: NSF/ANSI P473 or reverse osmosis. New Jersey provides filters in confirmed contamination zones.
We don't recommend brands — the NSF/ANSI certification number matters more than the name on the box.
This is the state. Your address is the answer.
State-level patterns don't tell you about your specific tap. Run your ZIP for the live EWG contaminant report on your utility — or build a personalized Water File for your household.
Source-water mix, utility counts, lead-service-line estimates, and private-well shares are approximate, drawn from EPA SDWIS public data and state primacy-agency summaries. Contaminant rankings reflect EWG state-level monitoring data and regional regulatory action — they are not exhaustive. Timeline events are publicly documented. See methodology for the full sourcing. Search EPA SDWIS for New Jersey