South Orange Water Department
On record since 2011: 16 violations. 16 missed or late tests. Most recent began 2023-07-01.
None of them is a measurement of contaminated water.
For this year's test results, ask the utility for its annual Consumer Confidence Report. Every community system must publish one.
More violations on record than 83% of active water systems in New Jersey. Small systems with no staff chemist often rack up missed-test violations; big utilities rarely do.
The record, year by year
Across New Jersey, 74% of violations are missed or late tests and 2% are water over a limit.
Lead & copper at the tap
Utilities sample taps in homes most likely to have lead pipes, and report the 90th-percentile result: 9 in 10 homes sampled came in at or below this number. Above the red line (the action level) the utility must act. The action level is not a safe level; EPA's health goal for lead is zero. EPA's file does not date these results, so they are shown highest first.
Lead, 90th percentile 11 results on file · action level 15 ppb
Every violation on record
- 2023-07-01Lead and Copper RuleWater Quality Parameter M/RPeriod ended · no return to compliance on file
- 2016-07-01Lead and Copper RuleWater Quality Parameter M/RBack in compliance
- 2013-04-11E. ColiMonitoring, Source Water (GWR)Back in compliance
- 2011-01-01SeleniumMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01Thallium, TotalMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01Beryllium, TotalMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01Antimony, TotalMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01SodiumMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01NickelMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01MercuryMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01FluorideMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01CyanideMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01ChromiumMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01CadmiumMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01BariumMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
- 2011-01-01ArsenicMonitoring, RegularBack in compliance
System details
| Population served | 16,964 |
| Service connections | 4,621 |
| Water source | Surface Water Purchased |
| System type | Community Water System |
| Owner | Local Government |
| Status | Active |
| City | South Orange |
| EPA ZIP on file | 07079 |
Areas served
- Essex County
Reading this record
South Orange Water Department is a community water system that draws from surface water purchased and serves about 16,964 people in South Orange, New Jersey. Everything above comes from the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), where states report every violation by every public water system.
Four kinds of violation. Only one is a measurement of the water: over the limit means a test came back above a legal maximum (an MCL). A treatment lapse means a required protective step was not done, such as disinfection, filtration, fixing a defect an inspector found, or filing a lead-pipe inventory. A missed or late test means a required test was skipped or never reported. That is the most common kind, and the most misread: it does not mean the water was bad, and it does not mean the water was fine. Notices and reports covers public notices and the annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Status. “Back in compliance” means the state recorded a return to compliance. “Period ended” means the violation's compliance period is over but no return to compliance was ever filed, which is common in older records. EPA's federal copy lags state records by months, so call the utility for anything current.