Is Upper Montclair, NJ tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 2 utilities serving Upper Montclair have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Montclair Water Bureau and Passaic Valley Water Commission.
Montclair Water Bureau, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 6.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Upper Montclair’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Montclair Water Bureau
New Jersey · serves 40,150 people · about 12,500 in Upper Montclair
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 3 results above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 6.8 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Passaic Valley Water Commission
New Jersey · serves 310,483 people · about 770 in Upper Montclair
2 results above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029 and 1 result above the health goal. The worst: PFOA at 11.5 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 42 to 242 mg/L (2.5 to 14.2 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Montclair Water Bureau’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: PFOA, PFOS, Arsenic
Water testing near Upper Montclair
The 3 labs New Jersey certifies closest to Upper Montclair, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pace Analytical Services, LLC-Fairfield
Fairfield, NJ · about 6 miles
Hampton- Clarke
Fairfield, NJ · about 6 miles
Garden State Laboratories Inc.
Hillside, NJ · about 10 miles
ZIP codes in Upper Montclair
Which ZIP codes are in Upper Montclair: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: NJDEP Office of Quality Assurance, certified drinking water labs; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Upper Montclair
Other towns in Essex County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Montclair Water Bureau’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOARanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water