Uranium in New Jersey well water
In New Jersey, 1% of 19,354 private wells tested between 2002 and 2024 had uranium above the New Jersey limit (30 ug/L), according to NJDEP.
Uranium in well water comes from granite bedrock. Its main health effect is chemical toxicity to the kidneys rather than radiation. It is common in the same areas where radon and arsenic occur.
Check your uranium 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 uranium.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (30 ug/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, 2002 to 2024.
Towns with the highest share above the state level
- Independence township, Warren County10% of 148 wells
- West Milford township, Passaic County6% of 1,149 wells
- Liberty township, Warren County4% of 160 wells
- Vernon township, Sussex County4% of 956 wells
- Bloomingdale borough, Passaic County3% of 62 wells
- Sparta township, Sussex County3% of 212 wells
- White township, Warren County3% of 177 wells
- Byram township, Sussex County3% of 227 wells
- Clinton township, Hunterdon County3% of 243 wells
- Kinnelon borough, Morris County2% of 275 wells
- Harmony township, Warren County2% of 121 wells
- Ringwood borough, Passaic County2% of 189 wells
- Andover township, Sussex County2% of 197 wells
- Chester township, Morris County1% of 408 wells
- Tewksbury township, Hunterdon County1% of 323 wells
- Rockaway township, Morris County1% of 268 wells
- Hopatcong borough, Sussex County<1% of 766 wells
- Bethlehem township, Hunterdon County<1% of 241 wells
- Oxford township, Warren County<1% of 118 wells
- East Amwell township, Hunterdon County<1% of 148 wells
- Kingwood township, Hunterdon County<1% of 180 wells
- Delaware township, Hunterdon County<1% of 166 wells
- Mendham township, Morris County<1% of 159 wells
- Union township, Hunterdon County<1% of 198 wells
- Hopewell township, Mercer County<1% of 285 wells
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit (30 ug/L); counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Samples | Detected | Above EPA limit | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sussex | 31 | 94% | 23% | 1.07 | 623 ug/L |
| Mercer | 55 | 82% | 4% | 1.5 | 49 ug/L |
| Morris | 31 | 58% | 3% | 0.055 | 429 ug/L |
| Hunterdon | 79 | 95% | 1% | 2.8 | 48.2 ug/L |
| Gloucester | 185 | 66% | 0% | 0.028 | 9.97 ug/L |
| Camden | 99 | 66% | 0% | 0.017 | 1.78 ug/L |
| Salem | 39 | 64% | 0% | 0.04 | 0.36 ug/L |
| Middlesex | 39 | 54% | 0% | 0.02 | 11 ug/L |
| Burlington | 36 | 53% | 0% | 0.005 | 1.77 ug/L |
| Cumberland | 127 | 48% | 0% | 0 | 1.46 ug/L |
| Atlantic | 49 | 43% | 0% | 0 | 0.15 ug/L |
| Ocean | 74 | 18% | 0% | 0 | 0.1 ug/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. uranium counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.