PFAS · New Jersey

PFAS in New Jersey drinking water: EPA’s final survey results

EPA’s national PFAS survey (UCMR 5) tested 245 of the community water systems that serve homes in New Jersey. 167 found at least one of 29 PFAS above the laboratory reporting level, and 111 had a PFOA or PFOS sampling-location yearly average at or above EPA’s 4.0 ppt limit. Samples were collected from January 2023 to May 2026.

In focus68%of surveyed systems found PFAS

Public records. Clearer context.

Data as of EPA UCMR 5 final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026) · EPA SDWIS 2026Q2 (file dated Jul 9, 2026). How we build these pages

245

New Jersey community systems in EPA’s survey

serving about 8,699,302 people

167

found at least one PFAS

68% of surveyed systems; about 7,035,062 people served

111

PFOA or PFOS yearly average at or above the MCL

compared the way EPA does: the average of a complete sampling set

lithium at or above EPA’s health reference level

lithium was part of the same survey

PFOA was the compound New Jersey community systems found most often: 149 of 244 tested systems measured it above the reporting level. Across the country, 35% of surveyed community systems found at least one PFAS; in New Jersey the share is 68%. The largest New Jersey system with a detection, Veolia Water New Jersey Hackensack, serves 792,713 people and found 8 of the 29 compounds.

Which PFAS were found most often in New Jersey

Each row counts the New Jersey community water systems where that compound was measured above the reporting level at least once. A detection is a measurement, not a violation: most of these compounds have no federal limit.

Compound	Systems where found	Systems tested	Share
PFOA	149	244	61%
PFPeA	135	244	55%
PFHxA	128	244	52%
PFOS	95	244	39%
PFBS	66	244	27%
PFBA	64	244	26%
PFHxS	51	244	21%
PFHpA	45	244	18%
PFNA	9	244	4%
6:2 FTS	4	244	2%
HFPO-DA (GenX)	2	244	1%
PFHpS	1	244	0%

New Jersey systems with the most PFAS found

The 10 surveyed community water systems that found the most different PFAS, with PFOA and PFOS compared to EPA’s 4.0 ppt limits on the yearly average at the highest sampling location. Larger systems come first when counts tie.

Water system	People served	PFAS found (of 29)	PFOA	PFOS
Ridgewood Water NJ0251001	61,700	9	30.6 ppt at or above the MCL	13.3 ppt at or above the MCL
Park Ridge Water Dept NJ0247001	16,466	9	14.8 ppt at or above the MCL	11.2 ppt at or above the MCL
Waldwick Water Dept NJ0264001	10,208	9	11.7 ppt at or above the MCL	4.6 ppt at or above the MCL
Ho Ho Kus Water Dept NJ0228001	4,060	9	29.0 ppt at or above the MCL	15.3 ppt at or above the MCL
Veolia Water New Jersey Hackensack NJ0238001	792,713	8	13.0 ppt at or above the MCL	6.3 ppt at or above the MCL
Passaic Valley Water Commission NJ1605002	310,483	8	9.9 ppt at or above the MCL	5.2 ppt at or above the MCL
Southeast Morris County MUA NJ1424001	62,349	8	11.1 ppt at or above the MCL	5.5 ppt at or above the MCL
Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department NJ1429001	50,400	8	10.4 ppt at or above the MCL	7.7 ppt at or above the MCL
Dover Water Commission NJ1409001	27,806	8	9.4 ppt at or above the MCL	7.1 ppt at or above the MCL
Livingston TWP Div of Water NJ0710001	27,391	8	36.9 ppt at or above the MCL	4.9 ppt at or above the MCL

Counties with the most systems that found PFAS

Morris County 27 of 34 surveyed systems
Bergen County 19 of 19 surveyed systems
Essex County 15 of 18 surveyed systems
Monmouth County 15 of 21 surveyed systems
Middlesex County 14 of 15 surveyed systems
Gloucester County 14 of 16 surveyed systems
Passaic County 13 of 13 surveyed systems
Burlington County 11 of 17 surveyed systems

How to read these numbers

UCMR 5 asked every community and non-transient non-community water system serving 3,300 or more people, and a sample of smaller ones, to test for 29 PFAS and lithium. EPA published the final data in August 2026; its samples were collected from January 2023 to June 2026. A system that was not in the survey has no result here; that is not the same as having no PFAS.

UCMR 5 is a one-time national monitoring survey. Its results do not indicate compliance or non-compliance with the PFAS Maximum Contaminant Levels, which are enforced on running annual averages and take effect in 2029 (EPA has proposed allowing extensions to 2031). A single result above a limit on this page is a measurement, not a violation.

See how to read UCMR 5 results and our methodology for how systems are matched to places.

After New Jersey’s PFAS results

Find your system. Then read its report.

State recordsAll New Jersey water recordsCounties, ZIP reports, lead results and violations for the whole state.FiltersChoosing a PFAS filterHow to check a filter’s certified PFAS reduction before you buy.Your utilityFind your annual water reportYour utility’s Consumer Confidence Report will list its own PFAS results and any treatment plans.

County pages

New Jersey water records

Sources

EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, samples collected 2023-01-03 – 2026-06-17, final release, August 2026 (file dated Aug 28, 2026); EPA SDWIS via ECHO, 2026Q2 extract (file dated Jul 9, 2026); EPA service-area boundaries v3.0; Census 2020 ZCTAs. Database prepared 2026-09-03.