Is Old Bridge, NJ tap water safe?
Supplied by Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority · serves 68,000 people (20,259 connections) · Purchased surface water · EPA ID NJ1209002
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Old Bridge gets its water from Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Matawan Borough Water Department (9,084 people). Your water bill names your system.
Buys water from Middlesex Water Company. 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.
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 21.2 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Below action level1.75 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 Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority'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 (732) 566-2534. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested May 2023 to Feb 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 One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.88 ppt 72% of the limit |
| PFOS Detected, below limit Limit 4 ppt | 1 ppt 25% 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 3.38 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 1.55 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 1.65 ppt |
New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 2.88 ppt), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: 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
Detected in 4 of 12 samples. Highest result 21.2 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above 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: 1.75 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – now (in progress)). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 2 ppb (Jun 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – now (in progress) | 1.75 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.02 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Dec 2021 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2019 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2018 – Dec 2018 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2017 – Dec 2017 | 1 ppb |
| Jan 2017 – Jun 2017 | 2 ppb |
| Jan 2012 – Dec 2014 | 0 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
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: E. coli.
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 | 43.4 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chlorate | 400 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.18 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.24 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Old Bridge
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 07721, 07735, 07747, 08831, 08857, 08859, 08879
Nearby utilities
- Matawan Borough Water Department Matawan · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Sayreville Water Dept Sayreville · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Spotswood Water Dept Spotswood · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- South River Water Dept South River · 5 mi · PFAS above limit
- Milltown Water Dept Milltown · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Perth Amboy Water Department Perth Amboy · 8 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Old Bridge tap water safe to drink?
Most of Old Bridge gets its water from Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority. Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority 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 Old Bridge water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority found 5 PFAS at least once. None of the averages were above the federal limits.
What is the lead level in Old Bridge water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority is 1.75 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 NJ1209002: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NJ1209002).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority at (732) 566-2534, 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.