Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City Water Quality
Boonton and Split Rock reservoirs feed the city. The 2025 report keeps lead under the action level and regulated PFAS under New Jersey's state limits.
Boonton + Split Rock · lead 90th pct 5.6 ppb · PFOA 4.4 ppt / PFOS 5.1 ppt under NJ MCLs · arsenic 0.57 ppb.
The short answer
Jersey City's drinking water comes from the Boonton and Split Rock reservoirs and is treated at the Jersey City Water Treatment Plant. The 2025 Consumer Confidence Report shows lead at 5.6 ppb at the 90th percentile, under the 15 ppb action level.
New Jersey-regulated PFOA averaged 4.4 ppt and PFOS 5.1 ppt, both under state MCLs, with no PFAS violation. Arsenic was 0.57 ppb against a 5 ppb state limit.
Get a free test
Tell us your Jersey City address. We confirm coverage first, then schedule a licensed technician to test at your tap — no charge, no obligation.
What filtration does — and does not
Lead from service lines and regulated PFAS are the usual reasons Jersey City homeowners add point-of-use treatment.
Where Jersey City water comes from
Source, treatment and delivery named in Veolia's Jersey City 2025 Consumer Confidence Report.
Boonton and Split Rock
Jersey City water comes from the Jersey City Reservoir at Boonton and the Split Rock Reservoir in Rockaway Township, fed by a 120-square-mile watershed.
About 45 million gallons a day
The Jersey City Water Treatment Plant in Boonton purifies about 45 million gallons a day on average and can treat up to 80 million gallons a day at peak.
23 miles of aqueduct
Treated water moves by gravity through 23 miles of aqueduct and about 300 miles of water mains. Neighbor systems can supply water during maintenance.
What the 2025 data actually says
Limits are fixed. Results are system figures from the CCR tables, not a reading at your tap.
Lead: 5.6 ppb at the 90th percentile
In 2025, lead's 90th percentile at customer taps was 5.6 ppb against a 15 ppb action level, with one site above the action level and results ranging from not detected to 19.4 ppb.
Copper: 0.11 ppm
Copper's 90th percentile was 0.11 ppm against a 1.3 ppm action level, with no sites above it.
PFOA and PFOS under New Jersey limits
Regulated PFAS in 2025: PFOA running annual average 4.4 ppt (max 5.6) against New Jersey's 14 ppt MCL, and PFOS 5.1 ppt (max 6.5) against 13 ppt. No violation.
Arsenic 0.57 ppb
Arsenic was reported at 0.57 ppb against New Jersey's 5 ppb MCL. Nitrate as N ranged from 0.11 to 0.35 ppm against a 10 ppm limit.
Disinfection byproducts
Total trihalomethanes had a locational running annual average of 54.4 ppb (range 32.3–77.6) against an 80 ppb MCL. Chlorine residual averaged 0.88 ppm.
Service line inventory online
The Jersey City water system published a service line inventory so customers can check materials at their address, and lists a lead inventory contact at the MUA.
Jersey City next to Newark and Philadelphia
Newark also draws from northern New Jersey reservoirs and reports a lead 90th percentile that was not detected in its 2025 CCR, after replacing more than 23,000 lead service lines since 2019.
Across the Delaware, Philadelphia treats Delaware and Schuylkill river water and reports its own PFOA and PFOS ranges against Pennsylvania's state limits.
Where these figures come from
Everything on this page traces to Veolia's Jersey City 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (PWSID NJ0906001).
- Veolia Jersey City — 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (PDF)
- Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority — service line inventory and lead contacts referenced in the report.
Matching treatment to the finding
Lead from plumbing and New Jersey-regulated PFAS are the usual reasons Jersey City homeowners add treatment.
Filters certified for lead
If you have a lead or unknown service line, a filter certified by an ANSI-accredited body to reduce lead is the usual first step at the drinking tap.
Point-of-use RO for PFAS
Under-sink reverse osmosis can reduce PFOA and PFOS at the tap you drink from. Whole-house carbon is a different conversation and needs a tap test first.
Corrosion control is already in place
The plant adds corrosion-control chemicals and reports orthophosphate residuals in the distribution system. That does not remove lead already in home plumbing.
Know your service line
Use the published inventory or contact the MUA before you decide on filtration. The report notes flushing and filter options for homes on lead service lines.
How the free test works
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap, walks the plumbing, and tells you which of the findings above applies to your house and which does not. There is no charge and no obligation.
Seamless Home is the licensed contractor of record on the work that follows. Installation is performed by vetted installing partners engaged as our subcontractors, and the workmanship obligation stays with us. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What a water treatment job with us covers
Installation and replacement of whole-home and point-of-use treatment, specified against what your water actually contains.
Sediment filtration
Installation of the first stage that protects everything downstream of it, sized to the service line and the household draw.
Softening
Installation of ion-exchange softening where hardness is the problem, including the drain connection the plumbing code treats as indirect waste.
Carbon filtration
Installation of carbon stages for taste, odour and disinfection by-products, specified from your utility's own water quality report.
Reverse osmosis
Point-of-use installation at the kitchen sink where the target is dissolved solids rather than whole-home flow.
Disinfection
Installation of UV or equivalent treatment where the supply is a private well or is otherwise not continuously disinfected.
System replacement
Replacing equipment that has reached the end of its service life, including the discharge and air gap details an inspector looks at.
This is installation and replacement work, specified from a published water quality report or a test of your supply — not from a sales chart. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
What the work actually looks like
Treatment equipment is plumbing. Most of the job is the connection, the drain and the code detail behind it.
Jersey City water, answered plainly
Where does Jersey City get its water?+
From the Jersey City Reservoir at Boonton and the Split Rock Reservoir in Rockaway Township. The Jersey City Water Treatment Plant in Boonton treats it before it travels about 23 miles by aqueduct into the city.
What were Jersey City's 2025 lead results?+
The 90th percentile was 5.6 ppb against the 15 ppb action level. One site was above the action level; results ranged from not detected to 19.4 ppb.
Does Jersey City water have PFAS?+
Yes. The 2025 report lists a PFOA running annual average of 4.4 ppt and PFOS of 5.1 ppt, both under New Jersey's state MCLs (14 ppt and 13 ppt), with no violation.
Is there arsenic in Jersey City water?+
Arsenic was reported at 0.57 ppb in 2025 against New Jersey's 5 ppb limit, with no violation.
Where do these figures come from?+
From Veolia's Jersey City 2025 Consumer Confidence Report for PWSID NJ0906001. Third-party aggregators are not used.
Related resources
Home water purification and treatment
The national service page behind this one.
Learn more →Newark water quality
Pequannock and Wanaque water, with 23,000+ lead lines already replaced.
Learn more →Philadelphia water quality
Delaware and Schuylkill river water and Pennsylvania PFAS limits.
Learn more →New York City water quality
Catskill/Delaware reservoirs across the river.
Learn more →All home services
Water, battery, HVAC and solar under one licensed contractor of record.
Learn more →Get a free test at your tap
A licensed technician tests at your kitchen tap and tells you which findings apply to your house — lead from the service line, or PFAS at the drinking tap. No charge, no obligation, and coverage confirmed at your address first.
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