Newark, NJ tap water quality

Newark's water met New Jersey's PFAS limits in 2025, but PFOA was above EPA's national limit of 4 ppt, which utilities must meet by 2029.

Newark, in Essex County, has about 323,808 residents. Virtually all of them live inside the service area of Newark Water Department, according to New Jersey DEP's service area map.

Hardness and lead in Newark's water

Hardness

—Not listed in the 2025 report

Lead, 90th percentile of home taps

0 ppbThe report also lists a 90th percentile of 3.82 ppb under NJDWSC, the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission.Action level: 15 ppb, dropping to 10 ppb in November 2027

Filtering Newark's tap water at home

PFOA was above the federal limit in this system's report. We found 9 filters with a certified PFOA reduction claim (on its own or as part of a total PFAS claim), checked against the manufacturer's performance data sheet; the water system page lists them with a link to each document.

Where does Newark's water come from?

The Newark Water Department's 2025 report lists its own sources as Pequannock Watershed.

Local factors in Newark

Age of homes

66% (margin of error ±2 percentage points) of homes in Newark were built before 1980 (Essex County: 74%, New Jersey: 63%; U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024). The utility's water quality report describes water leaving the system, not the plumbing inside a home; why the build year matters for lead.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25034 (Year Structure Built).

Radon

NJDEP places Newark in Radon Tier 3 (low potential: under 5 percent of tested homes at or above 4 picocuries per liter) based on indoor radon tests (2015). In that report, 3% of the 4,902 homes tested in Newark were at or above 4 picocuries per liter. NJDEP recommends testing every home regardless of tier. How radon tiers work.

Source: New Jersey DEP Radon Section, 2015 Radon Tier Assignment Report; the same figures appear in NJDEP's current municipal tier list.

Known contaminated sites

NJDEP lists 802 sites in Newark where soil or groundwater contamination has been confirmed (October 14, 2026). These are places under cleanup oversight; they do not mean that tap water from the public system is contaminated. The public water system is tested and treated separately.

Source: New Jersey DEP, Known Contaminated Sites List map layer, retrieved October 16, 2026, with site-by-site lists in NJDEP's Known Contaminated Sites reports.

Water and sewer bills

In the Census Bureau's survey (ACS 2020-2024, about this question), 27% (margin of error ±1 percentage point) of occupied homes in Newark pay a separate charge for water and sewer; the rest report no charge or a charge included in other fees, such as rent. Among the homes that pay, 34% (margin of error ±3 percentage points) report $1,000 or more for the year (28% in Essex County, 30% statewide), as households report it rather than as the utility bills it.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25134 (Annual Water and Sewer Costs).

ZIP codes covering Newark: 07102, 07103, 07104, 07105, 07106, 07107, 07108, 07112, 07114. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.