New Jersey / Cape May County
Ocean City tap water
The 2025 report from the utility that serves Ocean City doesn't include PFAS results.
Where the water comes from
Ocean City System is a public community water system consisting of 8 wells.
From the 2025 water quality report for the New Jersey American Water, Ocean City system.
PFAS ("forever chemicals")
The 2025 report doesn't include regulated PFAS results. EPA's nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5) may still cover this system; see the sources below.
Also detected, with no drinking water limit yet: lithium.
Hardness and lead
- Hardness
- 76 mg/L4.4 grains per gallon, moderately hard
- Lead, 90th percentile of home taps
- 0 ppbAction level: 15 ppb
Estimate a water softener size for your home
How it works: grains per day = people × gallons × hardness, with 4 grains added for each ppm of iron. We size up so the softener can run on its salt-saving setting, which gives roughly three quarters of its rated capacity.
Lead mostly comes from service lines and plumbing inside homes, not from the treatment plant. Your own tap can differ from the system-wide number.
What you can do
Your utility's PFAS results were below the federal limits. If you still want a filter, or you're concerned about lead from your home's pipes, look for one certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for the contaminant you care about.
You can check any filter's certification on the certifiers' own sites: NSF, WQA and IAPMO.
Sources. 2025 water quality report, New Jersey American Water, Ocean City system; EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System; EPA UCMR 5. Public water system ID NJ0508001.
Values checked against the original report in September 2026. See how we check the data. Found an error? Tell us and we'll correct it.
Other towns on the same water system
These towns get their water from the New Jersey American Water, Ocean City system, so their results match Ocean City's: