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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Passaic County Water Quality: 8 Cities Ranked by the Records

Passaic County, New Jersey: 8 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 Passaic 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 7 systems of 8 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest14.8 ng/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 6 systems of 8 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest13.8 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 7 systems of 8 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest6.81 µg/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 3 systems of 8 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.8 ng/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 4 systems of 8 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest12.8 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 6 systems of 8 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest9.6 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 4 systems of 8 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest9.3 ng/L
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)Detected in 3 systems of 8 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest3.6 ng/L
1 more contaminant detectedShow
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 7 systems of 8 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest11.9 ng/L
22 substances tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 8 systems: HAWTHORNE WATER DEPARTMENT, MANCHESTER UTILITIES AUTHORITY, PASSAIC VALLEY WATER COMMISSION, POMPTON LAKES MUA, RINGWOOD WATER DEPARTMENT, TOTOWA W DEPT, WANAQUE W DEPT., WOODLAND PARK WATER DEPARTMENT

  • 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)
  • Lithium
  • 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)
  • Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
8 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 6 of 8 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 Passaic County7 of 8 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Wanaque13.8 ng/L
  2. Ringwood8.8 ng/L
  3. Paterson7.7 ng/L
  4. Woodland Park5.3 ng/L
  5. Pompton Lakes4.8 ng/L
  6. Haledon4.4 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in New Jersey
Lead

0of 8 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. PatersonPASSAIC VALLEY WATER COMMISSION · NJ1605002
    310,483 served
  2. HawthorneHAWTHORNE WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ1604001
    19,458 served
  3. HaledonMANCHESTER UTILITIES AUTHORITY · NJ1603001
    12,000 served
  4. Pompton LakesPOMPTON LAKES MUA · NJ1609001
    11,435 served
  5. TotowaTOTOWA W DEPT · NJ1612001
    10,804 served
  6. WanaqueWANAQUE W DEPT. · NJ1613002
    10,266 served
  7. RingwoodRINGWOOD WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ1611002
    9,327 served
  8. Woodland ParkWOODLAND PARK WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ1616001
    6,000 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Passaic County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 8 cities in Passaic 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 Hawthorne's main water system: HAWTHORNE WATER DEPARTMENT · PWSID NJ1604001 · Purity Score 95 (Excellent) · 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 Passaic County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

7 of 8 Passaic County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Wanaque (PFOA 14.8 ng/L), Ringwood (PFOA 12.3 ng/L), Paterson (PFOA 11.5 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 8.

Is there lead in Passaic County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 7 of 8 Passaic 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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