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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Bergen County Water Quality: 14 Cities Ranked by the Records

Bergen County, New Jersey: 14 city reports built from EPA and utility records. A county has many suppliers; each city shows the system that serves it.

Find my systemOpen on the mapPrivate wells in Bergen County
Across the county's systems

Highest result for each contaminant

One row per contaminant: the highest result any system in the county reported, against its limit. Open a row for the systems behind it.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 14 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest31.4 ng/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 14 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest23 ng/L
LithiumDetected in 7 systems of 14 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest33.1 µg/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 5 systems of 14 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest13.8 ng/L
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)Detected in 2 systems of 14 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest8.1 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 11 systems of 14 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest4.8 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 11 systems of 14 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest15 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 14 systems400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest16.3 ng/L
4 more contaminants detectedShow
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 10 systems of 14 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest30.7 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)Detected in 1 system of 14 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest3 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 9 systems of 14 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest7.2 ng/L
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 14 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest26.7 ng/L
19 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 14 systems: ELMWOOD PARK WATER DEPT, FAIR LAWN WATER DEPT, GARFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT, LYNDHURST WATER DEPARTMENT, MAHWAH WATER DEPARTMENT, OAKLAND WATER DEPT, PARK RIDGE WATER DEPT, PASSAIC VALLEY WC LODI WD, PVWC-NORTH ARLINGTON, RAMSEY WATER DEPT, RIDGEWOOD WATER, SADDLE BROOK WATER DEPT, WALDWICK WATER DEPT, WALLINGTON WATER DEPT

  • 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2 FTS)
  • 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2 FTS)
  • 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
  • 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS)
  • Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (GenX chemicals)
  • N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NEtFOSAA)
  • N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSAA)
  • Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
  • Perfluoro (2-ethoxyethane) sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
  • Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
  • Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
  • Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
  • Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
14 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 6 of 14 cities · scores are system-level, not tap tests

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no county score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works.

PFAS in Bergen County14 of 14 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Oakland23 ng/L
  2. Park Ridge14.1 ng/L
  3. Ridgewood13.8 ng/L
  4. Waldwick10.2 ng/L
  5. Lodi8.4 ng/L
  6. Garfield5.8 ng/L
  7. Lyndhurst5.6 ng/L
  8. Fair Lawn5.5 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in New Jersey
Lead

0of 14 cities above the 15 µg/L action level

Based on each system's 90th-percentile result. Lead from household plumbing isn't in this record.

Lead in New Jersey
Who supplies the county

Largest water systems

  1. RidgewoodRIDGEWOOD WATER · NJ0251001
    61,700 served
  2. Fair LawnFAIR LAWN WATER DEPT · NJ0217001
    35,564 served
  3. GarfieldGARFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ0221001
    30,487 served
  4. MahwahMAHWAH WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ0233001
    26,777 served
  5. LodiPASSAIC VALLEY WC LODI WD · NJ0231001
    24,136 served
  6. LyndhurstLYNDHURST WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ0232001
    22,000 served
  7. Elmwood ParkELMWOOD PARK WATER DEPT · NJ0211001
    20,374 served
  8. Park RidgePARK RIDGE WATER DEPT · NJ0247001
    16,466 served
  9. North ArlingtonPVWC-NORTH ARLINGTON · NJ0239001
    15,392 served
  10. RamseyRAMSEY WATER DEPT · NJ0248001
    15,207 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Bergen County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 14 cities in Bergen County by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Wallington's main water system: WALLINGTON WATER DEPT · PWSID NJ0265001 · Purity Score 61 (Fair) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many Bergen County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

14 of 14 Bergen County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Ridgewood (PFOA 31.4 ng/L), Waldwick (PFOA 23.3 ng/L), Oakland (PFOS 23 ng/L). That limit is judged on a yearly average, and water systems have until 2029 to meet it, so a single sample is not a violation. PFAS were detected at any level in 14.

Is there lead in Bergen County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 11 of 14 Bergen County cities reported a value above zero, and none was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

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