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Complete Health Indicator Report of Community Water Systems Compliance

Definition

Percentage of community water systems in compliance with all current state and federal drinking water requirements for water quality.

Numerator

Number of community water systems in compliance with all current state and federal drinking water requirements for water quality.

Denominator

Total number of community water systems.

Why Is This Important?

Community water systems serve about 85% of New Jersey's residents, and are expected to comply with all current state and federal drinking water requirements for water quality. A water quality report is provided annually to customers by water suppliers, and drinking water quality is monitored by state certified water testing laboratories.

Healthy People Objective: Increase the proportion of persons served by community water systems who receive a supply of drinking water that meets the regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act

U.S. Target: 91 percent

Other Objectives

'''Healthy New Jersey 2020 Objective EH-4''': Increase the percentage of community water systems in compliance with all current state and federal drinking water requirements for water quality to 100% for chemical standards, 100% for radiological standards, and 100% for microbiological standards.

How Are We Doing?

Between 2005 and 2020, the compliance rates for microbiological, chemical, and radiological standards in New Jersey's community water systems remained very high. In 2010, new requirements for advanced treatment on water systems serving groundwater, known as the Groundwater Rule, went into effect, as did the requirement for mandatory electronic reporting of test results.

What Is Being Done?

The Safe Drinking Water Act, passed in 1974, requires that actions be taken to protect drinking water and its sources. The act authorized the US EPA to set national health-based standards for drinking water which could then be made more stringent by individual states. The Safe Drinking Water Act applies to all public drinking water systems in the United States.

Available Services

If your drinking water comes from a public water system: Your water supplier is required by law to monitor the system regularly and to meet state and federal standards. For community water systems, your water supplier is required to provide all customers with a Consumer Confidence Report that summarizes test results. You can also get test results for your water system by contacting your water supplier or the NJDEP Bureau of Safe Drinking Water Implementation at (609) 292-5550. If your drinking water comes from a private well: You are responsible for testing. The NJDEP recommends that you use a laboratory that is NJDEP-certified. You can call NJDEP Office of Quality Assurance at (609) 292-3950 for information on laboratories certified to test drinking water. Testing is required during the sale of residential real estate when a well is the source of water. For more information, contact the NJDEP Private Well Testing Program, www.state.nj.us/dep/pwta or call (866) 479-8378.

Health Program Information

For concerns regarding Federal and State drinking water regulations and public water supply monitoring results, contact the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water Implementation or Bureau of Safe Drinking Water Technical Assistance, (609) 292-5550. To inquire about NJ certified laboratories for testing of drinking water, contact the Office of Quality Assurance at (609) 292-3950. For information on Federal drinking water regulations and other water safety issues, contact the United States Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791. Contact your Public Water Utility for public drinking water regulations and monitoring results.


Related Indicators

Related Risk Factors Indicators:



Data Tables


Percentage of Community Water Systems in Compliance With All Current State and Federal Drinking Water Requirements for Water Quality, by Standard, New Jersey, 2005-2020

Standard for Drinking Water QualityYearPercentage of Community Water Systems
Record Count: 48
Chemical Standard200596
Chemical Standard200696
Chemical Standard200796
Chemical Standard200898
Chemical Standard200998
Chemical Standard201098
Chemical Standard201197
Chemical Standard201297
Chemical Standard201398
Chemical Standard201499
Chemical Standard201599
Chemical Standard201698
Chemical Standard201798
Chemical Standard201897
Chemical Standard201997
Chemical Standard202098
Radiological Standard200597
Radiological Standard200697
Radiological Standard200797
Radiological Standard200898
Radiological Standard200998
Radiological Standard201098
Radiological Standard201198
Radiological Standard201298
Radiological Standard201399
Radiological Standard201498
Radiological Standard201599
Radiological Standard201699
Radiological Standard201799
Radiological Standard201899
Radiological Standard2019100
Radiological Standard2020100
Microbiological Standard200597
Microbiological Standard200696
Microbiological Standard200796
Microbiological Standard200897
Microbiological Standard200996
Microbiological Standard201094
Microbiological Standard201192
Microbiological Standard201294
Microbiological Standard201394
Microbiological Standard201495
Microbiological Standard201595
Microbiological Standard2016100
Microbiological Standard2017100
Microbiological Standard2018100
Microbiological Standard2019100
Microbiological Standard2020100

Data Notes

This is Healthy New Jersey 2020 (HNJ2020) Objective EH-4.   Community water systems are required to sample for coliform bacteria every month based on population, and sample for chemical and radiological parameters less frequently. Chemical and radiological violations must be addressed within a year of violation determination. Data are rounded to whole numbers.

Data Source

Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

References and Community Resources

The NJDEP Bureau of Safe Drinking Water and Bureau of Water System Engineering are responsible for ensuring that public water systems in New Jersey satisfy federal and state drinking water standards and other provisions of the Federal and State Safe Drinking Water Acts. [http://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/] 401 East State Street P.O. Box 420 Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420 Telephone: (609) 292-5550 Fax: (609) 292-1654 List of NJ certified water testing laboratories: [https://www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/oqa/certlabs.htm]

Page Content Updated On 06/05/2023, Published on 06/05/2023
The information provided above is from the Department of Health's NJSHAD web site (https://nj.gov/health/shad). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Fri, 29 March 2024 11:55:56 from Department of Health, New Jersey State Health Assessment Data Web site: https://nj.gov/health/shad ".

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