Passaic, NJ tap water quality

Passaic'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.

Passaic, in Passaic County, has about 71,337 residents. Virtually all of them live inside the service area of Passaic Valley Water Commission, according to New Jersey DEP's service area map.

Hardness and lead in Passaic's water

Hardness

Up to 242 mg/LUp to 14.2 grains per gallon, moderately hard to 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

3.73 ppbHigher of two 2025 monitoring periods: 3.73 ppb for January to June, 2.4 ppb for July to December.Action level: 15 ppb, dropping to 10 ppb in November 2027

Up to 14.2 grains per gallon in Passaic's report: size a water softener for Passaic. Compare it with hardness in other New Jersey water systems.

Filtering Passaic'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 Passaic's water come from?

The Passaic Valley Water Commission's 2025 report lists its own sources as Passaic River (Little Falls Water Treatment Plant).

Local factors in Passaic

Age of homes

86% (margin of error ±3 percentage points) of homes in Passaic were built before 1980 (Passaic County: 77%, 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 Passaic in Radon Tier 2 (moderate potential: 5 to 24 percent of tested homes at or above 4 picocuries per liter) based on indoor radon tests (2015). In that report, 6% of the 1,653 homes tested in Passaic 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 59 sites in Passaic 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), 25% (margin of error ±2 percentage points) of occupied homes in Passaic 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, 48% (margin of error ±3 percentage points) report $1,000 or more for the year (29% in Passaic 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 Passaic: 07055. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.