Morris County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Morris County, New Jersey has about 523,053 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 64 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department, serving about 50,400 people from surface water.

! 1 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 6 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 4.8 gpg (low confidence)

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

How hard is Morris County water?

Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department Estimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidence

4.8 gpg (82 mg/L), moderately hard

Morris County: median of 3,321 results from 505 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ.

Source: Hard Water Map county data, samples through 2023

County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Softener size at 4.8 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 5,746 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 4.8 gpg

Largest water systems in Morris County

The 6 biggest of 64 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department

NJ1429001 · serves about 50,400 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (8 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 4.2 ppb (period starting 2026-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFOA: highest sample 10.9 ppt (26 of 29 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFOS: highest sample 9.3 ppt (6 of 29 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFHxA: highest sample 8.3 ppt (16 of 29 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 8 ppt (18 of 29 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFBS: highest sample 7 ppt (13 of 29 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFPeA: highest sample 6.9 ppt (13 of 29 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBA: highest sample 5.9 ppt (5 of 29 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHpA: highest sample 3.2 ppt (3 of 29 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Southeast Morris County Mua

NJ1424001 · serves about 62,349 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (8 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 1.1 ppb (period starting 2026-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFBA: highest sample 15.7 ppt (5 of 22 samples); no federal limit
  • PFOA: highest sample 12.1 ppt (12 of 22 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFPeA: highest sample 10.4 ppt (9 of 22 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 9.2 ppt (9 of 22 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 7.1 ppt (3 of 22 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFOS: highest sample 6.8 ppt (5 of 22 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFBS: highest sample 4.4 ppt (4 of 22 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFHpA: highest sample 3.1 ppt (1 of 22 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Nj American Water - Short Hills

NJ0712001 · serves about 217,230 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (7 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 3 ppb (period starting 2026-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFPeA: highest sample 27.5 ppt (10 of 30 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 11.2 ppt (7 of 30 samples); no federal limit
  • PFOA: highest sample 9.1 ppt (16 of 30 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFBA: highest sample 6.5 ppt (4 of 30 samples); no federal limit
  • PFOS: highest sample 6.1 ppt (3 of 30 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFHxS: highest sample 3.6 ppt (2 of 30 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFBS: highest sample 3.1 ppt (2 of 30 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit

EPA ECHO record

Dover Water Commission

NJ1409001 · serves about 27,806 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (8 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 2.8 ppb (period starting 2022-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFOA: highest sample 12 ppt (4 of 4 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFOS: highest sample 8.1 ppt (4 of 4 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFPeA: highest sample 6.8 ppt (4 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBA: highest sample 5.7 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 5.6 ppt (4 of 4 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFHxA: highest sample 5.2 ppt (4 of 4 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 3.6 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFHpA: highest sample 3.2 ppt (1 of 4 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Montville Twp Mua

NJ1421003 · serves about 22,000 people · Surface water

! 3 health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (7 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 2.3 ppb (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFOS: highest sample 9.3 ppt (3 of 12 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFOA: highest sample 8.1 ppt (11 of 12 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFPeA: highest sample 6.1 ppt (3 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 5.7 ppt (3 of 12 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFBA: highest sample 5.2 ppt (1 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxA: highest sample 4.6 ppt (2 of 12 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 3.7 ppt (2 of 12 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit

EPA ECHO record

Denville Twp Water Dept

NJ1408001 · serves about 15,881 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (7 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 4.3 ppb (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

  • PFOA: highest sample 12 ppt (8 of 10 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average
  • PFPeA: highest sample 8.7 ppt (6 of 10 samples); no federal limit
  • PFHxS: highest sample 6.5 ppt (4 of 10 samples); federal limit 10.0 ppt as a running annual average, also counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit (currently in effect; EPA has proposed removing it)
  • PFHxA: highest sample 6.1 ppt (5 of 10 samples); no federal limit
  • PFBS: highest sample 5 ppt (4 of 10 samples); no individual limit; counted in EPA's PFAS mixture (hazard index) limit
  • PFHpA: highest sample 4.5 ppt (2 of 10 samples); no federal limit
  • PFOS: highest sample 4.4 ppt (3 of 10 samples); federal limit 4.0 ppt as a running annual average

EPA ECHO record

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.

Test your own tap

These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.

Common questions about Morris County water

Is tap water in Morris County safe to drink?

1 of the 6 largest systems here have at least one health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021 (see each system below for status). Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department's most recent lead 90th percentile was 4.2 ppb (2026), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

How hard is the water in Morris County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Morris County have a median of about 4.8 grains per gallon (82 mg/L, moderately hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 4.8 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Morris County water?

6 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, and 12 results were above the level of a federal limit in at least one sample. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Which water system serves my address in Morris County?

Most homes are served by Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

More New Jersey counties

Sources for this page

Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.