Is Cherry Hill, NJ tap water safe?
Supplied by New Jersey American Water – Western · serves 274,291 people (103,898 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NJ0327001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Cherry Hill gets its water from New Jersey American Water – Western. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Merchantville Pennsauken Water System (47,144 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Merchantville Pennsauken Water System, Maple Shade Water Department. Treated water bought from another system can carry that system's contaminants.
Summary
No federal limits exceeded in EPA data.
- PFAS
- Detected, below limit5 of 29 PFAS found at least once. All averages below the federal limits.
- Lead
- Below action level3 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 Jan 2026 – now, still in progress (results reported so far). Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- 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.
- Want to reduce what was found? Filters for these results.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read New Jersey American Water – Western's 2026 water quality report (PDF) (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (609) 677-4652.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 15 entry points tested May 2024 to May 2026. "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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.07 ppt 27% of the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 1.1 ppt 28% 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 | 0.0004 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 0.8 ppt |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 2.75 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 2.13 ppt |
New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 1.07 ppt), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: 1.1 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.
29 PFAS tested, 5 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
Not detected in 32 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 3 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 4 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 2 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 2 ppb |
| Jul 2017 – Dec 2017 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2017 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2016 | 2 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
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 | 20 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.39 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) | 0.04 ppb | 0.0004 ppb |
| Vanadium | 3.5 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.7 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Cobalt | 7.2 ppb | 70 ppb |
| Strontium | 1.39 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 400 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 1.28 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Cherry Hill, Gloucester, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Burlington, Voorhees, Pennsauken, Camden, Cinnaminson, Delran, Lindenwold, Maple Shade, Bellmawr, Edgewater Park, Haddonfield, Haddon, Delanco, Gibbsboro, Runnemede, Clementon, Palmyra, Barrington, Stratford, Haddon Heights, Riverside, Audubon, Lawnside, Somerdale, Magnolia, Mount Ephraim, Riverton, Oaklyn, Beverly, Laurel Springs, Hi-Nella, Audubon Park
38 ZIP codes the system reported serving
08002, 08003, 08004, 08007, 08010, 08012, 08016, 08021, 08026, 08029, 08030, 08031, 08033, 08034, 08035, 08043, 08045, 08049, 08052, 08054, 08057, 08059, 08061, 08065, 08075, 08077, 08078, 08083, 08084, 08086, 08102, 08103, 08104, 08105, 08106, 08107, 08109, 08110
Nearby utilities
- Maple Shade Water Department Maple Shade · 3 mi · PFAS above limit
- Merchantville Pennsauken Water System Pennsauken · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- Mt Laurel Township Municipal Utilities Authority Mount Laurel · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Camden Camden · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Westville Water Department Westville · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Willingboro Municipal Utilities Authority Willingboro · 10 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Cherry Hill tap water safe to drink?
Most of Cherry Hill gets its water from New Jersey American Water – Western. New Jersey American Water – Western has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found no PFAS above the federal limits. 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 Cherry Hill water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of New Jersey American Water – Western found 5 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Cherry Hill water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for New Jersey American Water – Western is 3 ppb, for the monitoring period that began Jan 2026 (still in progress). 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 NJ0327001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NJ0327001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- New Jersey American Water – Western's 2026 water quality report (PDF): the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (609) 677-4652.
- New Jersey American Water – Western website
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.