Sussex W Dept
What EPA’s and CDC’s records show in this utility’s water: nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals; lead and copper; and violations since 2016, with the certification that handles each result.
- Serves
- 2,201 people
- Connections
- 770
- Water source
- Surface water
- Based in
- Sussex Boro, NJ
- County
- Sussex
- Owner
- Local government
The ZIP code it serves
The short answer
Nothing in EPA’s and CDC’s records for this utility is above a health goal. That covers nitrate, arsenic and other regulated chemicals, plus lead and copper, not everything. 15 health-based violations since 2016.
What was found
Copper: EPA’s file records a utility’s copper only when it exceeds the action level. The last here was 2.5 ppm, for the period ending Dec. 31, 1995. None since is on file, so it is not counted as a current finding.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, arsenic and uranium: New Jersey’s yearly averages per water system, as CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network publishes them, 2020 to 2023, with EPA’s 2012 to 2019 file for earlier years.
Chromium (total) and fluoride: EPA’s compliance monitoring file, samples taken from March 20, 2012 to Jan. 22, 2019. Newer results are in the utility’s annual water quality report.
Below EPA’s limits4
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Forms or is added in treatment
74.6ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
Averaged by year, the highest was 74.6 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 80 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 95.9 ppb, in 2016, and EPA recorded violations in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction”
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Forms or is added in treatment
16.4ppb
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
Averaged by year, the highest was 16.4 ppb, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 60 ppb. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest yearly average of 59.7 ppb, in 2016, and EPA recorded a violation in 2017.
What handles it
No certification claim covers this compound yet.
Nitrate
Comes from the source
0.2ppm
Highest yearly average, 2020 to 2023
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.2 ppm, in 2023, below EPA’s legal limit of 10 ppm. That was also the latest year on file. Earlier, from 2012 to 2019, EPA’s file shows a highest sample of 0.58 ppm, in 2013.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Nitrate/Nitrite (30 ppm challenge)”
Chromium (total)
Comes from the source
0.72ppb
Highest yearly average, 2012 to 2019
2019: not found
Averaged by year, the highest was 0.72 ppb, in 2015, below EPA’s legal limit of 100 ppb. In 2019, the latest year on file, it wasn’t found in its one sample.
What handles it
- NSF/ANSI 58 look for “Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction”
- NSF/ANSI 53 look for “Chromium Reduction”
4 compounds tested and not foundBelow the reporting level in every sample. Not found is not the same as zero.
- Arsenic
- Fluoride
- Lead
- Uranium
Violations since 2016
| Contaminant or rule | Type | Period | Measured | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorite | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Sept. 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2025 | 1,283 UG/L | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Water chemistry used to keep pipes from corroding was outside the required range.EPA: WQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance | Jan. 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024 | — | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Water chemistry used to keep pipes from corroding was outside the required range.EPA: WQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance | July 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023 | — | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Water chemistry used to keep pipes from corroding was outside the required range.EPA: WQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance | July 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2022 | — | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rule | Water chemistry used to keep pipes from corroding was outside the required range.EPA: WQP Entry Point/Tap Treatment Technique Non-Compliance | Jan. 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022 | — | Resolved |
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | One cloudiness reading was above the maximum allowed.EPA: Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) | Jan. 1, 2018 to Jan. 31, 2018 | — | Resolved |
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | Too many readings in a month showed cloudiness above the filtration standard.EPA: Monthly Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) | Jan. 1, 2018 to Jan. 31, 2018 | — | Resolved |
| Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | One cloudiness reading was above the maximum allowed.EPA: Single Turbidity Exceed (Enhanced SWTR) | Oct. 1, 2017 to Oct. 31, 2017 | — | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017 | 0.064 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017 | 0.097 MG/L | Resolved |
| Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017 | 0.064 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Oct. 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2016 | 0.096 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | July 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2016 | 0.099 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016 | 0.1 MG/L | Resolved |
| TTHM | The running average was above the legal limit.EPA: Maximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average | Jan. 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 | 0.095 MG/L | Resolved |
| Health-based violations only. Resolved and archived mean the utility returned to compliance or the state closed the record. 32 monitoring or reporting violations not shown. | ||||
What this report can’t tell you
Everything else. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), haloacetic acids (HAA5), nitrate, arsenic and uranium results here are New Jersey’s yearly averages as CDC publishes them, from 2020 on, with EPA’s national file for 2012 to 2019. Chromium (total) and fluoride come from EPA’s file alone, which ends in 2019. Sussex W Dept’s own annual report, which it must send you every year, has newer results for those and the contaminants this page does not show.
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.
What it means for your health. This page reports what the records show and EPA’s limits and goals; it is not medical advice. If you are worried about a health effect, talk to a doctor or your local health department.
Anything after the latest data. SDWIS data is from 2026 Q3; UCMR 5 didn’t sample this utility; CDC’s yearly averages for New Jersey cover 2020 to 2023; EPA’s compliance samples are from March 20, 2012 to Jan. 22, 2019.
Testing your own tap
The 3 labs New Jersey certifies closest to the area Sussex W Dept serves, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Well Qualified LLC
Lafayette, NJ · about 11 miles
Advanced Water Technology LLC
Sparta, NJ · about 14 miles
Environmental Laboratory Services, LLC
Ringwood, NJ · about 21 miles
Sources
- EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data, file of Oct. 15, 2026
- EPA SDWA bulk download (SDWIS federal data), 2026 Q3
- CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, yearly averages New Jersey supplied to CDC, 2020 to 2023, read Oct. 8, 2026. TapBuff’s comparisons with EPA’s limits are its own, not CDC’s or New Jersey’s.
- EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, file of Feb. 5, 2024
- Certified labs: NJDEP Office of Quality Assurance, certified drinking water labs, read Oct. 11, 2026; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer
- Limits and goals: each contaminant’s page, with its EPA source.
- How this page is built: methodology.
PWSID NJ1921001. Rebuilt from EPA data on Oct. 18, 2026.
What to do next
- Nothing here is above a health goalIn EPA’s and CDC’s records for this utility. They don’t cover everything, which is why the next step matters.Every contaminant TapBuff tracks
- Get the utility’s own reportSussex W Dept must send you a water quality report every year. It covers contaminants this page does not show, and has newer results than EPA’s national file for the ones here that come from it.How to read it
- Test your own tap for leadYour service line, solder and fixtures decide the lead at your faucet, not the utility’s average.Lead in your water: what to do
- Decide if you want a filter at allA filter for taste or chlorine is a preference, not a need. The standards say what each kind can do.NSF/ANSI standards, decoded