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Orange Water Dept water quality report, rewritten

Serves
30,134
Connections
4,597
Water source
Surface water bought from another system
Based in
Orange City, NJ
County
Essex
Owner
Local government
The ZIP code it serves

07050

PWSID NJ07170012026 edition · EPA data

Read this first

  • PFOA (above the health goal) was found in four of 6 samples, highest 13 ppt. Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.
  • Copper (above the health goal) In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.5 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

1 health-based violation since 2016. Details are below.

What handles it

What was found

Highlighted: above the health goal, or EPA’s health benchmark where there is no goal. Circled: above the legal limit in at least one sample, or the action level. Every scale puts that line at its middle.

PFOA (above the health goal)

Comes from the source

13 (above the legal limit in at least one sample)ppt

Highest of 6 samples; found in four

Above the 4.0 ppt legal limit in at least one sample. Compliance is judged on a running annual average, not one sample.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: PFOA ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Total PFAS Reduction; Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
  • NSF/ANSI 58Look for: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 4.0 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken from Feb. 13, 2025 to Aug. 26, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Copper (above the health goal)

Comes from pipes, often your own

1.5 (above the action level)ppm

90th percentile, 2000

In the latest period, 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below 1.5 ppm, above the 1.3 ppm action level.

What handles it

EPA SDWIS, lead and copper monitoring periods ending 1992 to 2000. The pointer marks the latest period; each blue tick is an earlier one.

PFHxS

Comes from the source

3.7ppt

Highest of 6 samples; found in one

Detected, below the legal limit and the health goal.

What handles it

  • NSF/ANSI 53Look for: Total PFAS ReductionSame claim, other certifiers’ wording: Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS)

NSF’s PFAS claims are tested to below 20 ppt. EPA’s limit is 10 ppt, and EPA says no certification yet shows a filter reaching its levels.

EPA UCMR 5, samples taken on Aug. 26, 2025. Each blue tick is one sample where it was found.

Also found, with no federal limit

EPA measured these PFAS to learn how often they occur. None has a legal limit or a health goal yet.

CompoundHighest sampleFound inCertification claim
PFBA6.4 ppt2 of 6None covers it
PFPeA4.1 ppt3 of 6None covers it
PFHxA3.2 ppt2 of 6None covers it

Tested and not found

Below EPA’s minimum reporting level in every sample taken from Feb. 13, 2025 to Aug. 26, 2025. Not found means not measured above that level, which is not the same as zero.

All 26 compounds tested and not found
  • 11Cl-PF3OUdS
  • 4:2 FTS
  • 6:2 FTS
  • 8:2 FTS
  • 9Cl-PF3ONS
  • ADONA
  • HFPO-DA (GenX)
  • Lead
  • Lithium
  • NEtFOSAA
  • NFDHA
  • NMeFOSAA
  • PFBS
  • PFDA
  • PFDoA
  • PFEESA
  • PFHpA
  • PFHpS
  • PFMBA
  • PFMPA
  • PFNA
  • PFOS
  • PFPeS
  • PFTA
  • PFTrDA
  • PFUnA

Violations since 2016

Contaminant or ruleTypePeriodMeasuredStatus
Lead and Copper RuleWater chemistry used to keep pipes from corroding was outside the required range.EPA: WQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-ComplianceJan. 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021—Resolved
Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 11 monitoring or reporting violations not shown.

What handles it

A certification covers specific claims, not a whole standard. Look for these claims on the certifier’s listing, not the box. Wording varies a little: NSF writes “Lead Reduction,” WQA just “Lead.”

  • NSF/ANSI 53

    Claims: PFOA Reduction, Copper Reduction

    For: PFOA, Copper

  • NSF/ANSI 58

    Claims: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Copper Reduction

    For: PFOA, Copper

At the tap, or for the whole house?

Lead and copper usually come from pipes and fixtures inside or near your home. A whole-house system sits where water enters, so it cannot catch what your own plumbing adds after it. For those, the filter that counts is the one at the tap. How whole-house systems compare.

Compare five-year costs

Filters with those claims on a certifier’s listing

TapBuff earns a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It does not change which standard or filter we name. As an Amazon Associate, TapBuff earns from qualifying purchases. How TapBuff makes money

What this report cannot tell you

  • Levels of everything else. Federal bulk data carries results for PFAS, lithium, lead and copper, and violations for the rest. Nitrate, arsenic, disinfection byproducts and other levels are in Orange Water Dept’s own annual report, which it must send you every year.
  • Your own plumbing. Lead results are the 90th percentile across homes the utility samples. Your home’s service line, solder and fixtures decide yours. A certified lab test is the only way to know.
  • Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q2; UCMR 5 samples are from Feb. 13, 2025 to Aug. 26, 2025.

What to do next

  1. Read up on the 2 marked results

    What each one does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.

    Start with PFOA

  2. Get the utility’s own report

    Orange Water Dept must send you a water quality report every year. It lists nitrate, arsenic and byproduct levels this page cannot.

    How to read it

  3. Test your own tap for lead

    Your service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.

    Lead in your water: what to do

  4. Compare certified filters

    What the filters certified for these results cost over five years, cartridges included.

    Compare five-year costs

Other New Jersey utilities

All New Jersey utilities

Sources