Phillipsburg, NJ tap water quality

The utility that serves Phillipsburg reported no detections of the PFAS it tested for in 2025.

Phillipsburg, in Warren County, has about 15,456 residents. About 95% of them live inside the service area of Aqua New Jersey's Phillipsburg system, according to New Jersey DEP's service area map.

Hardness and lead in Phillipsburg's water

Hardness

154 mg/L9 grains per gallon, hardThe utility's report lists one value for hardness, 154 mg/L (2025).New Jersey's recommended upper limit 250 mg/L (for taste and appearance; not enforceable); no federal limit.

Lead, 90th percentile of home taps

1.3 ppbAction level: 15 ppb, dropping to 10 ppb in November 2027

9 grains per gallon in Phillipsburg's report: size a water softener for Phillipsburg. Compare it with hardness in other New Jersey water systems.

Filtering Phillipsburg's tap water at home

The utility didn't detect the PFAS it tested for. If you're concerned about lead from your home's pipes, look for a filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead.

Where does Phillipsburg's water come from?

The Phillipsburg system's 2025 report lists its own sources as 3 deep wells in various geologic formations.

The Phillipsburg system is run by Aqua New Jersey. Its customer service page covers paying a bill and starting or stopping service.

Local factors in Phillipsburg

Age of homes

86% (margin of error ±6 percentage points) of homes in Phillipsburg 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).

Radon

NJDEP places Phillipsburg 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, 42% of the 3,145 homes tested in Phillipsburg 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 26 sites in Phillipsburg 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), 74% (margin of error ±4 percentage points) of occupied homes in Phillipsburg 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, 24% (margin of error ±6 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 Phillipsburg: 08865 (shared with Harmony, Pohatcong, Lopatcong). Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.