Passaic Valley Water Commission water quality
Little Falls, NJ · serves 310,483 people (53,421 connections) · Surface water · Local government · EPA ID NJ1605002
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Buys water from Pvwc-North Arlington Water System, Manchester Utilities Authority, Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority. 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 9.88 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 5.17 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1.62 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
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jul 2021.
- 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 Passaic Valley Water Commission'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) 340-4307.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 1 entry point tested Mar 2024 to Jan 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 | 9.88 ppt 2.47× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 5.17 ppt 1.29× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 1.57 ppt 16% of the limit |
| 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 | 0.16 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 2.65 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 4.9 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 6.42 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 7.38 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 1.6 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: PVWC said in November 2024 that a PFAS pilot at its Little Falls plant began in February 2024 and that it awarded Black and Veatch a $2 million contract to plan a full-scale PFAS treatment facility, aiming to comply by 2029.
Source: Passaic Valley Water Commission Hosts National Collaborative Meeting to Discuss Combatting PFAS, 2024-11-01. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
New Jersey has its own PFAS limits. PFOA 14 ppt (this system's highest average: 9.88 ppt), PFOS 13 ppt (this system's highest average: 5.17 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 85% of the New Jersey systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 83% 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
Not detected in 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.62 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 18 ppb (Dec 2016).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 1.62 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 2.4 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 3.73 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 4 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 3.45 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 5.65 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 7.28 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 5.72 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 3.95 ppb |
| Jul 2021 – Dec 2021 | 7.8 ppb |
| Jan 2021 – Jun 2021 | 5.15 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Dec 2020 | 8.27 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 |
|---|---|
| Jul 2021 | 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 |
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 | 13.7 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.14 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.15 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chromium-6 | 0.12 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 0.31 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Chlorate | 430 ppb | 210 ppb |
Where it serves
Little Falls
25 ZIP codes the system reported serving
07011, 07012, 07013, 07014, 07015, 07055, 07424, 07501, 07502, 07503, 07504, 07505, 07508, 07509, 07510, 07511, 07512, 07513, 07514, 07522, 07524, 07533, 07538, 07543, 07544
Nearby utilities
- New Jersey American Water – Little Falls Little Falls · same area · PFAS above limit
- Woodland Park Water Department Woodland Park · 2 mi · PFAS above limit
- Totowa Water Dept Totowa · 2 mi · PFAS above limit
- North Caldwell Water Department North Caldwell · 2 mi · PFAS above limit
- Verona Water Department Verona · 3 mi · PFAS above limit
- Caldwell Water Dept Caldwell · 4 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Passaic Valley Water Commission water safe to drink?
Passaic Valley Water Commission had 1 health-based violation 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 Passaic Valley Water Commission water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Passaic Valley Water Commission found 8 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 9.88 ppt, PFOS 5.17 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Passaic Valley Water Commission water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Passaic Valley Water Commission is 1.62 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 NJ1605002: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID NJ1605002).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- Passaic Valley Water Commission'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) 340-4307.
- Passaic Valley Water Commission 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.