Tap Water Results

Livingston Township Division of Water water quality

Livingston, NJ · serves 27,391 people (10,837 connections) · Purchased surface water · Local government · EPA ID NJ0710001

Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it

Buys water from New Jersey American Water – Short Hills, East Orange 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, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 36.9 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 4.95 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
Lead
Below action level4.18 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
None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
What you can do
  • 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 Livingston Township Division of Water'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) 992-5000. EPA: how to find it.

PFAS (“forever chemicals”)

EPA UCMR 5: 10 entry points tested Aug 2024 to May 2025. "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.

ContaminantHighest averageHighest resultLimitStatus
PFOA
Above limit
Limit 4 ppt
36.9 ppt
9.24× the limit
44 ppt4 pptAbove limit
PFOS
Above limit
Limit 4 ppt
4.95 ppt
1.24× the limit
5.7 ppt4 pptAbove limit
PFHxS
Detected, below limit
Limit 10 ppt
6.15 ppt
62% of the limit
7.1 ppt10 pptDetected, below limit
PFNA
Not detected
Limit 10 ppt
––10 pptNot detected
HFPO-DA (GenX)
Not detected
Limit 10 ppt
––10 pptNot detected
Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit)
Detected, below limit
Limit 1
0.620.711Detected, below limit
PFBS
Detected, below limit
Guideline 2,000 ppt
5.7 ppt5.8 ppt2,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFBA
Detected, below limit
Guideline 6,000 ppt
6.4 ppt6.5 ppt6,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFHxA
Detected, below limit
Guideline 3,000 ppt
7.6 ppt7.8 ppt3,000 ppt guidelineDetected, below limit
PFPeA
Detected, no limit
7.6 ppt7.7 pptnoneDetected, no limit
PFHpA
Detected, no limit
7.1 ppt7.3 pptnoneDetected, no limit

New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 36.9 ppt, above it), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: 4.95 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 99% of the New Jersey systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 82% of the New Jersey systems EPA tested.

29 PFAS tested, 8 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 5 of 21 samples. Highest result 13 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: 4.18 ppb lead (Jan 2022 – Dec 2024). Below action level

Highest since 2016: 6.82 ppb (Dec 2018).

Monitoring periodLead (90th pct.)
Jan 2022 – Dec 20244.18 ppb
Jan 2019 – Dec 20214.9 ppb
Jan 2016 – Dec 20186.82 ppb
Earlier results (9)
Jan 2013 – Dec 20152.63 ppb
Jan 2010 – Dec 20123.86 ppb
Jan 2007 – Dec 20092.3 ppb
Jan 2006 – Dec 20081 ppb
Jan 2003 – Dec 20050 ppb
Jan 2003 – Jun 20031 ppb
Jul 2001 – Dec 20011 ppb
Jul 2000 – Dec 20001 ppb
Jul 1999 – Dec 19991 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

0
Health-based since 2016
34
Monitoring/reporting since 2016
0
Health-based unresolved now
142
Total ever recorded, incl. paperwork

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)

ContaminantHighestGuidelineDetectedTested
Manganese11 ppb300 ppb14 of 26UCMR 4 (2020)
Chromium-62.8 ppb–29 of 30UCMR 3 (2015)
Chlorate1,690 ppb210 ppb23 of 30UCMR 3 (2015)
1,4-Dioxane1.2 ppb0.35 ppb9 of 26UCMR 3 (2015)
Vanadium9.2 ppb21 ppb24 of 30UCMR 3 (2015)
Strontium1.18 ppm1.5 ppm30 of 30UCMR 3 (2015)
Cobalt1.1 ppb70 ppb1 of 30UCMR 3 (2015)

Where it serves

Livingston

ZIP codes the system reported serving: 07039

Nearby utilities

Questions

Is Livingston Township Division of Water water safe to drink?

Livingston Township Division of Water has no health-based violations since 2016. 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 Livingston Township Division of Water water have PFAS?

Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Livingston Township Division of Water found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 36.9 ppt, PFOS 4.95 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).

What is the lead level in Livingston Township Division of Water water?

The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Livingston Township Division of Water is 4.18 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:

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.