New Jersey tap water / Towns / Camden County
Somerdale, NJ tap water quality
Somerdale's PFAS compliance results in 2025 were below both New Jersey and federal limits.
Somerdale, in Camden County, has about 5,823 residents. Virtually all of them live inside the service area of New Jersey American Water's Western system, according to New Jersey DEP's service area map.
PFAS in the 2025 report Highest compliance result, NJ American Water, Western system
- PFOA2.5 pptRange in the report: not detected to 4.3 pptNJ limit 14 · Federal limit 4Below both limits
- PFOS2.45 pptRange in the report: not detected to 3.9 pptNJ limit 13 · Federal limit 4Below both limits
The same report also lists EPA's nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5), sampled at the point of entry in 2025: PFOA at 4.3 ppt and PFOS at 4.4 ppt. Those are separate test results, not the compliance figures above, so they don't set the status.
Charts and full results for the NJ American Water, Western system
Is Somerdale tap water safe?
We don't say whether Somerdale'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 Western system's 2025 water quality report lists the highest compliance result: 2.5 ppt of PFOA and 2.45 ppt of PFOS. The report doesn't say whether that figure is a single result or a running annual average. These were below both New Jersey's limits (14 ppt for PFOA and 13 ppt for PFOS) and EPA's national limits (4 ppt each). See how New Jersey water systems compare on PFAS.
Hardness and lead in Somerdale's water
- Hardness
- 128 mg/L7.5 grains per gallon, hardThe utility's report lists an average of 128 mg/L at the treatment plant (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
- Not listed in the 2025 report
7.5 grains per gallon in Somerdale's report: size a water softener for Somerdale. Compare it with hardness in other New Jersey water systems.
Filtering Somerdale's tap water at home
The utility's PFAS compliance 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.
Where does Somerdale's water come from?
The Western system's 2025 report lists its own sources as one surface water intake and 42 active wells (including 5 seasonal wells); Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system, Delaware River, Mount Laurel-Wenonah aquifer, Englishtown aquifer system.
The Western system is run by New Jersey American Water. Its customer service page covers paying a bill and starting or stopping service.
Local factors in Somerdale
Somerdale's municipal boundary on an aerial photo taken August 20, 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
75% (margin of error ±8 percentage points) of homes in Somerdale were built before 1980 (Camden County: 71%, 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 2,126 service lines (the pipes from the water main to each building) in Somerdale on October 31, 2026. 13 of them (1%) have lead on the utility's side, the property owner's side or both (0 only on the utility's side, 13 only on the owner's side), and New Jersey's 2021 lead service line law requires the utility to replace them, including the part on private property. For 783, 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 Somerdale 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, 26% of the 632 homes tested in Somerdale 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 7 sites in Somerdale 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), 77% (margin of error ±5 percentage points) of occupied homes in Somerdale 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, 33% (margin of error ±7 percentage points) report $1,000 or more for the year (35% in Camden 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 Somerdale: 08083 (shared with Gloucester, Hi-Nella). Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
Sources. 2025 water quality report, New Jersey American Water, Western system (public water system NJ0327001), 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, Western system, so their results match Somerdale's: