PFOA in New Jersey well water
In New Jersey, 10% of 20,186 private wells tested between 2002 and 2024 had PFOA above the New Jersey limit (14 ng/L), according to NJDEP.
PFOA is a forever chemical from firefighting foam, industrial discharge and consumer products. It builds up in the body and is linked to kidney and testicular cancer, high cholesterol, immune effects and low birth weight.
Check your PFOA number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the New Jersey limit and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Getting it fixed
Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company, or see the treatment guide for what removes PFOA.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (14 ng/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 2002 to 2024.
| County | Wells tested | Above state level | Highest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 131 | 47% | ||
| Bergen | 530 | 44% | ||
| Passaic | 931 | 31% | ||
| Sussex | 2,246 | 16% | ||
| Morris | 1,851 | 14% | ||
| Somerset | 911 | 14% | ||
| Cape May | 696 | 11% | ||
| Mercer | 302 | 11% | ||
| Salem | 951 | 6% | ||
| Burlington | 2,050 | 6% | ||
| Gloucester | 1,648 | 4% | ||
| Cumberland | 1,674 | 4% | ||
| Camden | 601 | 4% | ||
| Ocean | 751 | 4% | ||
| Hunterdon | 1,905 | 3% |
Towns with the highest share above the state level
- North Haledon borough, Passaic County74% of 76 wells
- Wayne township, Passaic County66% of 32 wells
- Hopatcong borough, Sussex County60% of 391 wells
- Saddle River borough, Bergen County56% of 84 wells
- Piscataway township, Middlesex County55% of 47 wells
- Montville township, Morris County49% of 96 wells
- Franklin Lakes borough, Bergen County46% of 140 wells
- Upper Saddle River borough, Bergen County37% of 181 wells
- Ringwood borough, Passaic County34% of 94 wells
- Rockaway township, Morris County33% of 130 wells
- Franklin township, Somerset County29% of 147 wells
- Boonton township, Morris County24% of 86 wells
- Bloomingdale borough, Passaic County24% of 33 wells
- West Milford township, Passaic County24% of 678 wells
- Carneys Point township, Salem County23% of 31 wells
- Mahwah township, Bergen County22% of 37 wells
- Warren township, Somerset County21% of 71 wells
- Kinnelon borough, Morris County20% of 137 wells
- Oldmans township, Salem County18% of 56 wells
- Elsinboro township, Salem County18% of 45 wells
- Pemberton township, Burlington County16% of 399 wells
- Vernon township, Sussex County16% of 484 wells
- Lower township, Cape May County16% of 71 wells
- West Amwell township, Hunterdon County15% of 52 wells
- Randolph township, Morris County14% of 121 wells
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (4 ng/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Samples | Detected | Above EPA limit | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 43 | 42% | 35% | 0 | 93 ng/L |
Sources
- NJDEP Private Well Testing Act summaries: Share of private wells exceeding each standard in tests required at sale or lease under the New Jersey Private Well Testing Act, September 2002 to December 2024, published by NJDEP. Tests are untreated water at the time of sale or lease, so every well is counted once per transaction. Municipalities with fewer than ten wells are suppressed. Standards are New Jersey's: arsenic 5 ug/L, PFOA 14 ng/L, PFOS 13 ng/L, PFNA 13 ng/L, manganese and iron secondary standards. Uranium and PFAS were added to the required panel in 2021 and 2020, so their well counts are smaller. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. PFOA counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.