New Jersey Water Systems with Most Unresolved Health-Based Violations — 2026
New Jersey community water utilities ranked by open federal health-based drinking water violations in EPA's SDWIS enforcement records, with demographic context from the Census American Community Survey.
ranked
with demographic data
vintage
boundaries (March 2026)
These 23 New Jersey water utilities carry the most open federal health-based violations in EPA's enforcement records. Sorted by unresolved count; demographic context from the U.S. Census is shown alongside but is not a ranking input.
| Rank | Water System | State | Pop served | Unresolved health violations | Health viol. (5yr) | % PoC served | % Below 200% FPL | Last violation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milltown W Department | New Jersey | 3,506 | 9 | 11 | 25% | 16% | 2026-01-01 |
| 2 | Jefferson Twp W U Lk Hop | New Jersey | 4,611 | 7 | 8 | 30% | 11% | 2025-10-11 |
| 3 | Lincoln Park Water Department | New Jersey | 5,115 | 6 | 7 | 27% | 13% | 2025-10-01 |
| 4 | South River W Department | New Jersey | 16,078 | 4 | 6 | 47% | 22% | 2025-09-29 |
| 5 | Perth Amboy Water Department | New Jersey | 50,360 | 3 | 3 | 88% | 42% | 2026-01-01 |
| 6 | Cedar Grove Water Department | New Jersey | 6,150 | 3 | 3 | 23% | 9% | 2025-07-22 |
| 7 | Verona Water Department | New Jersey | 14,558 | 2 | 4 | 17% | 9% | 2024-09-01 |
| 8 | Trenton Water Works | New Jersey | 180,147 | 2 | 3 | 66% | 34% | 2024-10-01 |
| 9 | Belleville Water Department | New Jersey | 27,993 | 2 | 3 | 70% | 21% | 2025-07-01 |
| 10 | Bridgeton City Water Department | New Jersey | 22,922 | 2 | 3 | 70% | 46% | 2025-12-01 |
| 11 | Montville Twp Mua | New Jersey | 17,179 | 2 | 3 | 31% | 7% | 2025-08-01 |
| 12 | Nutley Water Department | New Jersey | 16,799 | 2 | 3 | 42% | 12% | 2026-01-01 |
| 13 | Butler Water Department | New Jersey | 8,166 | 1 | 3 | 23% | 9% | 2025-12-30 |
| 14 | Ringwood Water Department | New Jersey | 6,203 | 1 | 3 | 18% | 9% | 2025-06-23 |
| 15 | City of Camden | New Jersey | 35,577 | 1 | 2 | 95% | 61% | 2025-01-01 |
| 16 | Saddle Brook Water Dept | New Jersey | 6,052 | 1 | 2 | 39% | 14% | 2025-01-01 |
| 17 | Roxbury Twp W Department-Sky V | New Jersey | 4,315 | 1 | 2 | 32% | 11% | 2025-07-23 |
| 18 | Moorestown Water Dept | New Jersey | 20,594 | 1 | 1 | 23% | 11% | 2025-12-30 |
| 19 | Mahwah Water Department | New Jersey | 14,711 | 1 | 1 | 28% | 8% | 2025-01-01 |
| 20 | Freehold Borough Water D | New Jersey | 13,284 | 1 | 1 | 33% | 15% | 2025-04-01 |
| 21 | Sparta Twp Water Utility - Lake Mohawk | New Jersey | 10,607 | 1 | 1 | 17% | 7% | 2024-01-01 |
| 22 | Keyport Water Department | New Jersey | 7,133 | 1 | 1 | 35% | 18% | 2025-01-01 |
| 23 | Paulsboro Water Department | New Jersey | 5,968 | 1 | 1 | 53% | 34% | 2023-12-30 |
How to read this ranking
Each row links to a full utility profile with violation history, lead testing results, and service-area ZIPs. The demographic context columns are from independent data sources (ACS, not EJScreen) and are provided for readers who want to examine equity patterns alongside the operational data.
See the full methodology for calculation details, data vintages, and known limitations.
Frequently asked questions
What is an unresolved health-based violation?
A violation of a federal Safe Drinking Water Act standard (Maximum Contaminant Level, Treatment Technique, or Monitoring requirement for a health-based contaminant) that has not been formally returned to compliance in EPA records. These reflect ongoing public-health concerns documented in EPA's ECHO enforcement database.
Why show demographic context next to violations?
Federal Safe Drinking Water Act data does not distinguish between communities by race or income — violations are violations regardless of who is served. We publish demographic columns so readers can independently examine whether specific systems with long-running violations also serve disproportionately low-income or non-white populations. We do not claim causation; we report two independent facts side by side.
Are these the most dangerous water systems in the country?
Not necessarily. "Unresolved" counts procedural and technical violations alongside contaminant exceedances. A high count indicates a system that federal regulators have flagged repeatedly without resolution. For any specific system, click through to its profile page for the individual violations on record.
Where does the data come from?
Violation records come from EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database, refreshed weekly. Demographic context comes from the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (2019-2023), aggregated from block-group level to utility-level using EPA's Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 population weights.
ZipCheckup is an independent public-data tool. We are a referral service and do not provide water testing, remediation, or utility services. Rankings reflect publicly-available federal data and are provided for informational purposes. For issues with your specific water system, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program.