New Jersey tap water / Towns / Warren County
Oxford, NJ tap water quality
Oxford's water met New Jersey's PFAS limits in 2025, but PFOA and PFOS were above EPA's national limit of 4 ppt, which utilities must meet by 2029.
Oxford, in Warren County, has about 2,469 residents. About 90% of them live inside the service area of New Jersey American Water's Washington / Oxford system, according to New Jersey DEP's service area map.
Part of Oxford may get water from a different system. If your bill comes from another utility, check its report instead.
PFAS in the 2025 report Highest compliance result, NJ American Water, Washington / Oxford system
- PFOA5 pptRange in the report: not detected to 5 pptNJ limit 14 · Federal limit 4Below NJ limit, above federal
- PFOS7 pptRange in the report: not detected to 7 pptNJ limit 13 · Federal limit 4Below NJ limit, above federal
Charts and full results for the NJ American Water, Washington / Oxford system
Is Oxford tap water safe?
We don't say whether Oxford's tap water is safe to drink: that's a health question, for your doctor or your utility. What we show is what the utility reported next to New Jersey's and EPA's legal limits, starting with PFAS here; hardness and lead follow below.
For PFAS, the Washington / Oxford system's 2025 water quality report lists the highest compliance result: 5 ppt of PFOA and 7 ppt of PFOS. The report doesn't say whether that figure is a single result or a running annual average. These were below New Jersey's limits (14 ppt for PFOA and 13 ppt for PFOS), the ones utilities must meet today, but PFOA and PFOS were above EPA's national limits (4 ppt each). A reported value above EPA's limit isn't a violation yet: utilities must meet EPA's PFOA and PFOS limits by 2029, and compliance is then judged on running annual averages. The statewide PFAS table puts these figures next to the other water systems on this site.
Hardness and lead in Oxford's water
- Hardness
- Up to 406 mg/LUp to 23.7 grains per gallon, very hardNew Jersey's recommended upper limit 250 mg/L (for taste and appearance; not enforceable); no federal limit.
- Lead, 90th percentile of home taps
- 1 ppbAction level: 15 ppb, dropping to 10 ppb in November 2027
Up to 23.7 grains per gallon in Oxford's report: size a water softener for Oxford. See how hard the water is elsewhere in New Jersey.
Filtering Oxford's tap water at home
PFOA and PFOS were above the federal limits in this system's report. We found 9 filters with a certified PFOA and PFOS 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 Oxford's water come from?
The Washington / Oxford system's 2025 report lists its own sources as seven wells within the Washington, Oxford and Mansfield boundaries (Jacksonburg Limestone, Kittatinny Supergroup and Hardyston Quartzite aquifers).
Bills, new service and account questions are handled by New Jersey American Water, which runs the Washington / Oxford system: customer service and billing.
Local factors in Oxford
Oxford's municipal boundary on an aerial photo taken September 1, 2023. The town boundary and the water system's service area aren't always the same.
Source: USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program, via USGS The National Map; boundary from NJ Office of GIS.
Age of homes
66% (margin of error ±11 percentage points) of homes in Oxford were built before 1980 (Warren County: 60%, 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).
Lead service lines
New Jersey American Water's service line map, where you can look up your own address, lists 353 service lines (the pipes from the water main to each building) in Oxford on October 31, 2026. None of them is recorded as lead on either side. For 53, the material on at least one side hasn't been identified yet (how we count service lines; all towns compared).
Source: New Jersey American Water, service line material map, lines counted inside the town boundary on October 31, 2026; New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, 2022 order quoting the 2021 lead service line law (N.J.S.A. 58:12A-40).
Radon
NJDEP places Oxford in Radon Tier 1 (high potential: 25 percent or more of tested homes at or above 4 picocuries per liter) based on indoor radon tests (2015). In that report, 47% of the 674 homes tested in Oxford 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 6 sites in Oxford 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), 73% (margin of error ±5 percentage points) of occupied homes in Oxford 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, 65% (margin of error ±10 percentage points) report $1,000 or more for the year (26% in Warren 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 code covering Oxford: 07863 (shared with Mansfield Township, White). Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
Sources. 2025 water quality report, New Jersey American Water, Washington / Oxford system (public water system NJ2121001), checked against the original in September, October and November 2026; EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System. How we check the data · report an error.
Other towns on the same water system
These towns get their water from the New Jersey American Water, Washington / Oxford system, so their results match Oxford's:
Warren County towns on other water systems
| Town | Water system | PFAS result |
|---|---|---|
| Greenwich Township tap water | Aqua NJ, Phillipsburg system | no PFAS detected |
| Lopatcong tap water | Aqua NJ, Phillipsburg system | no PFAS detected |
| Phillipsburg tap water | Aqua NJ, Phillipsburg system | no PFAS detected |