Is Garfield, NJ tap water safe?
Supplied by Garfield Water Department · serves 30,487 people (6,471 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID NJ0221001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Passaic Valley Water Commission. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 7.55 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level3.4 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Dec 2024. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Garfield Water Department's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (973) 340-2000. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Oct 2023 to Jul 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 7.55 ppt 1.89× the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 3.95 ppt 99% of the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.00038 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 0.75 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 18.8 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.03 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 5.3 ppt |
New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 7.55 ppt), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: 3.95 ppt), PFNA 13 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected). State compliance is judged on the state's own sampling, so ask the utility or the state program whether it meets them.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 74% of the New Jersey systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 6 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 3 of 10 samples. Highest result 12.9 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Below screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3.4 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5.08 ppb (Dec 2018).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2024 | 3.4 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 3.3 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 5.08 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 3.01 ppb |
| Jan 2010 – Dec 2012 | 4.5 ppb |
| Jan 2007 – Dec 2009 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2007 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2004 | 4 ppb |
| Jul 1999 – Dec 1999 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 1998 – Dec 1998 | 5 ppb |
| Jul 1997 – Dec 1997 | 6 ppb |
| Jul 1995 – Dec 1995 | 6 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2016 | The running annual average for Tetrachloroethylene was above the legal limit. EPA record: Tetrachloroethylene · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 3 ug/l (limit 0.005 mg/L) Resolved |
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: Public Notice.
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 13.1 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 290 ppb | 210 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.74 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Vanadium | 22 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.1 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 3.8 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.64 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
Where it serves
Garfield
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 07026
Nearby utilities
- Passaic Valley Water Company Lodi Water District Lodi · 1 mi · PFAS above limit
- Veolia Water New Jersey Hackensack Hackensack · 3 mi · PFAS above limit
- Fair Lawn Water Dept Fair Lawn · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Woodland Park Water Department Woodland Park · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- New Jersey American Water – Little Falls Little Falls · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Passaic Valley Water Commission Little Falls · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Garfield tap water safe to drink?
Most of Garfield gets its water from Garfield Water Department. Garfield Water Department had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Garfield water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Garfield Water Department found 6 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 7.55 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Garfield water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Garfield Water Department is 3.4 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2024. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for NJ0221001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NJ0221001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Garfield Water Department at (973) 340-2000, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.