Is Newark, NJ tap water safe?
Supplied by Newark Water Department · serves 294,274 people (36,402 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NJ0714001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Belleville Water Dept, N.J.D.W.S.C. – Wanaque North Water System. 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 4.8 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level4.03 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
- Resolved20 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Jul 2022. 3 required an urgent public notice within 24 hours (the kind behind boil-water notices), most recently Sep 2020. What to do if you get a notice.
- 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.
- Got a boil-water or do-not-drink notice? What each notice means and what to do.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Newark Water Department's 2026 water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report, from the utility). It lists every regulated contaminant tested, including ones not on this page. Questions: (973) 733-6303.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 2 entry points tested Feb 2023 to Nov 2023. "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 | 4.8 ppt 1.2× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Not detected Guideline 3,000 ppt | – |
New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 4.8 ppt), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: not detected), 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 57% of the New Jersey systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 1 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 8 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 4.03 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 57 ppb (Jun 2019).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 4.03 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 4.1 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 4.81 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 4.44 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 9.75 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 6.6 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 13 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Jun 2020 | 13.9 ppb |
| Jul 2019 – Dec 2019 | 31 ppb |
Lead service lines: Newark Water Department publishes a service line inventory where you can look up what your line is made of. It doesn't publish summary counts.
Look up your address · Source (the utility, collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not EPA data) · Checking your own line
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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2022 | The water chemistry that keeps lead from dissolving out of pipes was outside the range the state set. EPA record: Lead and Copper Rule · WQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance (limit TT ) Resolved |
| Sep 2020 | The water was cloudier than allowed at least once. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
| Jan 2016 – Sep 2020 3 times | A required step to remove or kill germs (filtration, disinfection or fixing a contaminated well) was not done properly. EPA record: Surface Water Treatment Rule · Treatment Technique (SWTR and GWR) (limit ) Resolved |
| Jul 2018 – Jan 2020 7 times | The running annual average for Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) was above the legal limit. EPA record: Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.066 mg/l (limit 0.060 mg/L) Resolved |
| Jan 2016 – Apr 2019 4 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.093 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Resolved |
| Sep 2018 – Mar 2019 2 times | After high lead results, the system did not give customers the required information about lead. EPA record: Lead and Copper Rule · Public Education (limit TT ) Resolved |
| Nov 2018 – Dec 2018 2 times | The water was too cloudy too often in a month. Cloudiness can shield germs from disinfection. Urgent public notice required What that means EPA record: Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule · Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) (limit ) Resolved |
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 | 121 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.056 ppb | – |
| Strontium | 0.051 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 47 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Newark, Bloomfield, East Orange, Belleville, Irvington, Hillside
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 07003, 07017, 07102, 07109, 07110, 07201, 07435, 07440, 07470
Nearby utilities
- East Orange Water Commission East Orange · 3 mi · PFAS above limit
- New Jersey American Water – Liberty Elizabeth · 4 mi
- Orange Water Dept City of Orange · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Pvwc-North Arlington Water System North Arlington · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- South Orange Water Department South Orange Village · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- City of Bayonne Bayonne · 5 mi
Questions
Is Newark tap water safe to drink?
Most of Newark gets its water from Newark Water Department. Newark Water Department had 20 health-based violations 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 Newark water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Newark Water Department found 1 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 4.8 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Newark water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Newark Water Department is 4.03 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 NJ0714001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NJ0714001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Newark Water Department's 2026 water quality report: the utility's own annual report, including contaminants EPA's national database doesn't carry (link checked Nov 14, 2026). Phone: (973) 733-6303.
- Newark Water Department 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.