Is New Brunswick, NJ tap water safe?
Supplied by New Brunswick Water Dept · serves 55,000 people (8,500 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID NJ1214001
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
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 6.28 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1.78 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 Jun 2026. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved4 health-based violations since 2016, most recently Apr 2026.
- 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 New Brunswick Water Dept'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 (908) 331-5681. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Jun 2024 to Feb 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.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 6.28 ppt 1.57× the limit |
| PFOS One sample above limit Limit 4 ppt | 2.5 ppt 63% 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 Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 3.82 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.78 ppt |
New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 6.28 ppt), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: 2.5 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 67% of the New Jersey systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 4 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.78 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 5.82 ppb (Dec 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 1.78 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 2.1 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 1.88 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 2.06 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 1.4 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 1.72 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 1.9 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 2.03 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 2.75 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 2.82 ppb |
| Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 | 4 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 |
|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.082 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) Archived |
| Jan 2020 | 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 |
| Jul 2016 – Oct 2016 2 times | The running annual average for TTHM was above the legal limit. EPA record: TTHM · Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · measured 0.081 mg/l (limit 0.080 mg/L) 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 | 10.8 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.12 ppb | – |
| Chlorate | 410 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.12 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 0.7 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
New Brunswick
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 08901, 08903
Nearby utilities
- Milltown Water Dept Milltown · 3 mi · PFAS above limit
- South River Water Dept South River · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
- Franklin Township Dept of Public Works Franklin · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- New Jersey American Water – Short Hills Franklin · 6 mi · PFAS above limit
- Sayreville Water Dept Sayreville · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
- Spotswood Water Dept Spotswood · 7 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is New Brunswick tap water safe to drink?
Most of New Brunswick gets its water from New Brunswick Water Dept. New Brunswick Water Dept had 4 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 New Brunswick water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of New Brunswick Water Dept found 4 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 6.28 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in New Brunswick water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for New Brunswick Water Dept is 1.78 ppb, for the period ending Jun 2026. 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 NJ1214001: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NJ1214001).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask New Brunswick Water Dept at (908) 331-5681, 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.