NEW JERSEY
627 systems serving 8,619,862 people		  
 
 
  This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by water utilities in New Jersey, provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources in protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes drinking water quality for this state.

 
Chemicals
Water Utilities
Population Served
Detected Chemicals
119
627
8,612,455
Exceed health guidelines*
53
622
8,609,655
Exceed Legal Limits*
27
233
5,833,483
Unregulated chemicals detected
50
179
5,159,786
* Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

 
 
 
  53 Contaminants Exceeding Health Based Limits

Contaminants detected in New Jersey drinking water above health guidelines, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of data obtained from state water authorities

Contaminant
Population
Number of Systems
At Any Level Above Health Limits At Any Level Above Health Limits
Bromodichloromethane 8,450,237 8,450,237 435 435
Dibromochloromethane 8,422,635 8,274,390 440 408
Total haloacetic acids (HAAs) 8,226,558 8,043,325 366 349
Dichloroacetic acid 7,934,497 7,934,497 320 320
Bromoform 7,376,721 7,376,721 322 322
Combined Uranium (mg/L) 7,323,364 7,323,364 500 500
Combined Radium (-226 & -228) 7,287,784 7,287,784 489 489
Lead (total) 7,230,101 7,230,101 501 501
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 8,525,992 7,221,152 510 244
Radium-226 6,976,946 6,976,946 444 444

 
 
 
  Sources of New Jersey Drinking Water Contaminants

The contaminants identified in New Jersey drinking water come from a wide variety of sources, including agriculture, industry, water treatment plants, and polluted storm runoff from urban areas.

119 Total Contaminants Detected (2004 - 2008)
24 Agricultural Pollutants
(pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)

Arsenic (total), Cyanide, Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Carbaryl, Acetochlor, Atrazine, Dieldrin, Dacthal, 2,4-D, Bromomethane, Fluometuron, Dicamba, Iodomethane, Foaming agents (surfactants), 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), m-Dichlorobenzene, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Ethylbenzene
42 Sprawl and Urban Pollutants
(road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)

Arsenic (total), Cadmium (total), Copper, Cyanide, Lead (total), Mercury (total inorganic), Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Silver (total), Antimony (total), Carbaryl, Dacthal, 2,4-D, Trichlorofluoromethane, Acetone, Methyl ethyl ketone, Naphthalene, MTBE, Phenanthrene, Diethylphthalate, Pyrene, Di-n-butylphthalate, Butyl Benzylphthalate, Chrysene, Benzo[a]anthracene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Benzo[a]pyrene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Foaming agents (surfactants), Xylenes (total), p-Xylene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), p-Dichlorobenzene, Tetrachloroethylene, Benzene, Bromobenzene, m-Xylene, o-Xylene, n-Propylbenzene
90 Industrial Pollutants

Aluminum, Arsenic (total), Chlorite, Barium (total), Cadmium (total), Chromium (total), Cyanide, Lead (total), Manganese, Mercury (total inorganic), Nitrate & nitrite, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium (total), Silver (total), Antimony (total), Beryllium (total), Thallium (total), Asbestos, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Ethyl ether, Chloromethane, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Chloroethane, Trichlorofluoromethane, Hexachloroethane, Acetone, Methyl ethyl ketone, Naphthalene, MTBE, Tetrahydrofuran, 2-Hexanone, 4-Methyl-2-pentanone, Phenanthrene, Diethylphthalate, Pyrene, Di-n-butylphthalate, Ethyl Methacrylate, Butyl Benzylphthalate, Methyl methacrylate, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, Dibromomethane, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, Bromochloromethane, Iodomethane, Methyl acrylonitrile, Foaming agents (surfactants), Xylenes (total), p-Xylene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), p-Chlorotoluene, m-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene, trans-1,4-Dichloro-2-butene, Vinyl chloride, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,1-Dichloroethane, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, Carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-Dichloropropane, Trichloroethylene, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, Tetrachloroethylene, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Bromobenzene, m-Xylene, Styrene, o-Xylene, n-Propylbenzene, Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Alpha particle activity (incl. radon & uranium), Combined Uranium (mg/L), Combined Radium (-226 & -228), Radium-226, Radium-228, Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L)
27 Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts
(pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts)

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Total haloacetic acids (HAAs), Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Bromoform, Dibromoacetic acid, Monochloroacetic acid, Monobromoacetic acid, Chlorite, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Cadmium (total), Chloromethane, Vinyl chloride, Asbestos, Dibromomethane, Bromochloromethane, Benzo[a]pyrene, Chloroethane, m-Dichlorobenzene, 2-Hexanone, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, 1,1-Dichloropropanone, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Benzo[a]anthracene
24 Naturally Occurring
(naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development)

Nitrate, Copper, Nitrate & nitrite, Barium (total), Lead (total), Arsenic (total), Manganese, Radium-228, Radium-226, Alpha particle activity (excl radon and uranium), Combined Radium (-226 & -228), Gross beta particle activity (pCi/L), Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Chromium (total), Alpha particle activity (incl. radon & uranium), Combined Uranium (mg/L), Aluminum, Selenium (total), Nitrite, Radon, Mercury (total inorganic), Chloromethane, Cyanide, Silver (total)
51 Unregulated Contaminants
EPA has not established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for these contaminants

Lead (total), Carbaryl, Acetochlor, Dieldrin, Ethyl ether, Dacthal, Chloromethane, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Bromomethane, Chloroethane, Trichlorofluoromethane, Hexachloroethane, Acetone, Methyl ethyl ketone, Naphthalene, MTBE, Tetrahydrofuran, 2-Hexanone, 4-Methyl-2-pentanone, Phenanthrene, Diethylphthalate, Pyrene, Di-n-butylphthalate, Ethyl Methacrylate, Butyl Benzylphthalate, Methyl methacrylate, Chrysene, Fluometuron, Benzo[a]anthracene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Dibromomethane, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, Bromochloromethane, Dicamba, Iodomethane, 1,1-Dichloropropanone, Methyl acrylonitrile, p-Chlorotoluene, m-Dichlorobenzene, trans-1,4-Dichloro-2-butene, 1,1-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, Bromobenzene, n-Propylbenzene, Radon
 
 
 
  Testing Summary for New Jersey

The federal government has set standards for some of the pollutants found in tap water supplies.

Contaminants reported as tested by water suppliers in New Jersey 185
  Contaminants tested due to federal law: 82
  Contaminants tested in addition to those required by federal law: 103
 
 
 
  Violation Summary for New Jersey

Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards in New Jersey since 2004.

Violation Type Number of Violations
Failure to monitor regularly 6,743
Follow-up and Routine Tap Sampling 286
Over maximum contaminant level, Average 231
Failure to monitor, Routine Major (Coliform bacteria) 126
Maximum contaminant level, Monthly (Coliform bacteria) 123
Failure to monitor, Routine Minor (Coliform bacteria) 102
Failure to monitor, Repeat Minor (Coliform bacteria) 29
Initial Tap Sampling for Lead and Copper 28
Failure to monitor, Repeat Major (Coliform bacteria) 23
Over maximum contaminant level, Single Sample 20
Public Notification Violation for National Primary Drinking Water Regulations 16
Maximum contaminant level, Acute (Coliform bacteria) 10
Monitoring and Reporting Disinfection Byproduct Rule 9
Failure to report information to the public or state agency in the Consumer Confidence Report 8
Record Keeping Violation 6
Operations Report 6
Treatment Technique No Certif. Operator 5
Treatment Technique (Surface Water Treatment Rule) 3
Other Non-National Primary Drinking Water Regulations Potential Health Risks 3
Variance/Exemption/Other Compliance 2
Initial Water Quality Parameter Monitoring and Reporting 2
Public Education 2
Inadequate reporting of information to the public 2
Excess Turbidity at 0.3 NTU 1
Failure to notify public of violation 1
Failure to notify state agency 1
Excess Turbidity at 1 NTU 1



Sources : EWG (Environmental Working Group)