Bergen County, New Jersey: drinking water report. Bergen County is the most populous county in New Jersey, home to about 950,000 residents in communities…
Bergen County is the most populous county in New Jersey, home to about 950,000 residents in communities like Hackensack, Paramus, and Fort Lee. Veolia Water (formerly United Water) serves the largest share of customers, drawing from the Oradell Reservoir on the Hackensack River. Suez (now Veolia) and New Jersey American Water serve other portions. The Hackensack River watershed is relatively compact and heavily developed, making the reservoir vulnerable to urban runoff.
New Jersey's PFAS standards – 14 ppt for PFOA, 13 ppt for PFOS, 13 ppt for PFNA – are among the strictest in the country and have driven aggressive monitoring across Bergen County. UCMR5 data shows PFAS detections in multiple county systems, with some exceeding state MCLs before treatment upgrades were implemented.
According to the New Jersey DEP's 2024 compliance data, four Bergen County water systems required treatment installation to meet state PFAS limits. The county's dense urban and commercial landscape includes numerous potential diffuse PFAS sources. Teterboro Airport, used by corporate and general aviation, is another potential PFAS contributor from firefighting foam.
New Jersey's strict standards mean your utility is likely already treating for PFAS. But household filtration provides an additional barrier.
Check your water for data specific to your provider. Our water filter guide covers which home filters complement utility treatment. Pull your detailed report, and visit our New Jersey page for statewide context.
Drinking water is one exposure route. These federal datasets also cover Bergen County, NJ.
The EPA places Bergen County, NJ in Zone 2 - a moderate-risk category, with a predicted average indoor radon level between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Zone maps predict an area's radon potential from geology and existing indoor readings; they say nothing about a specific house. Testing is the only way to know your own level.
75% of homes in Bergen County, NJ were built before 1980, and 30% before 1950. Residential lead paint was banned in 1978, so housing age is the strongest available proxy for lead-paint exposure. This describes the county's housing stock, not any one home.
Modelled annual fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) in Bergen County, NJ averages 7.4 µg/m³, within the EPA's annual standard of 9 µg/m³. These are CDC modelled county estimates rather than readings from a specific monitor.
How radon zones work · Air quality by county · Lead exposure guide