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Updated 2026-10-15
County water report

Union County Water Quality: 4 Cities Ranked by the Records

Union County, New Jersey: 4 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 Union 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.

LithiumDetected in 2 systems of 4 tested10 µg/L EPA health reference level (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest36.1 µg/L
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Detected in 4 systems4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest9.1 ng/L
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)Detected in 2 systems of 4 tested4.0 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest6.8 ng/L
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)Detected in 2 systems of 4 tested10 ng/L federal MCL (2024) · US EPAHighest3.6 ng/L
Lead (90th percentile)Detected in 3 systems of 4 tested15 µg/L federal action level · US EPAHighest3 µg/L
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)Detected in 1 system of 4 tested2,000 ng/L EPA health advisory (screening, not a legal limit) · US EPAHighest3.1 ng/L
Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)Detected in 3 systems of 4 tested400,000 ng/L Michigan EGLE state MCL (strictest US state) · Michigan EGLEHighest11.2 ng/L
Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA)Detected in 3 systems of 4 testedNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest6.5 ng/L
1 more contaminant detectedShow
Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)Detected in 4 systemsNo federal or state limit; shown for transparencyHighest27.5 ng/L
22 PFAS tested, none detected in any systemShow

Tested in these 4 systems: NJ AMERICAN WATER - LIBERTY, NJ AMERICAN WATER - RARITAN, NJ AMERICAN WATER - SHORT HILLS, RAHWAY 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)
  • 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)
  • Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
  • Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
  • Perfluoropentanesulfonic acid (PFPeS)
  • Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTA)
  • Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
  • Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
4 cities

Cities ranked by the records

Showing 4 of 4 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 Union County4 of 4 city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit
  1. Plainfield6.8 ng/L
  2. Summit6.1 ng/L
4.0 ng/L federal MCL · PFOS, ng/LPFAS in New Jersey
Lead

0of 4 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. PlainfieldNJ AMERICAN WATER - RARITAN · NJ2004002
    615,430 served
  2. SummitNJ AMERICAN WATER - SHORT HILLS · NJ0712001
    217,230 served
  3. ElizabethNJ AMERICAN WATER - LIBERTY · NJ2004001
    134,000 served
  4. RahwayRAHWAY WATER DEPARTMENT · NJ2013001
    27,300 served
Questions

Frequently asked

How does Union County tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 4 cities in Union 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 Elizabeth's main water system: NJ AMERICAN WATER - LIBERTY · PWSID NJ2004001 · Purity Score 74 (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 Union County cities had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit?

4 of 4 Union County city reports had a PFAS sample above a 2024 EPA limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Summit (PFOA 9.1 ng/L), Plainfield (PFOA 7.5 ng/L), Rahway (PFOA 6.9 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 4.

Is there lead in Union County tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 3 of 4 Union 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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