East Orange’s 2026 water report details 2025 lead, PFAS results and compliance notices
East Orange’s 2026 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report says testing conducted from January 1 through December 31, 2025 produced a lead result below the listed action level, recorded PFOA and PFOS detections below stated New Jersey limits, and disclosed several late notice, paperwork and reporting issues.
The report is the most recent water-quality report listed in the city’s official archive. It describes the water system’s testing and compliance information for the 2025 reporting year.
Lead and copper results
East Orange reported a lead result of 2.65 parts per billion at the 90th percentile. That figure is not an average. The report lists a lead range from nondetected to 11 ppb and says 0 of 30 sampled sites were above the 15 ppb action level. The table lists the lead result as “No” in the violation column.
For copper, the report lists a 90th-percentile result of 0.0585 parts per million, with a range from nondetected to 0.445 ppm. It says 0 of 30 sampled sites were above copper’s 1.3 ppm action level, and the table lists no violation.
Those results describe the sites sampled for the report. They do not establish that lead is absent from every household tap. The report says lead can come from service lines and home plumbing, which the utility cannot fully control, and advises residents concerned about lead to contact the Water Department about testing.
PFOA and PFOS were detected below stated limits
The report lists 2025 PFOA at 10.35 parts per trillion, with results ranging from 7.14 to 13.10 ppt. It lists a New Jersey maximum contaminant level of 14 ppt.
PFOS was reported at 3.38 ppt, with a range from nondetected to 3.05 ppt. The report lists a New Jersey maximum contaminant level of 13 ppt. Both substances are marked “No” in the violation column. These are reported detections below the stated limits, not zero detections.
The report says East Orange is “currently pursuing installation of PFAS treatment.” It does not say the treatment has been completed, funded, approved or placed into operation.
Why the report lists compliance problems
The report separately discloses several notice and reporting issues. During the November 1-30, 2024 monitoring period, the laboratory submitted monthly volatile-organic-compound results late to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
During the January 1-February 27, 2025 monitoring period, the system did not provide all lead consumer notices on time. During the June 10-17, 2025 compliance period, paperwork indicating that several wells were offline was submitted after the reporting date.
The report also says the system completed monitoring and testing for water-quality parameters during the January 1-June 30, 2025 and July 1-December 31, 2025 compliance periods but did not submit the results on time. The utility says it continues to monitor and track deadlines so reporting is completed on time.
These disclosures concern consumer notices, paperwork and reporting deadlines. They are different from a reported contaminant result exceeding an action level or maximum contaminant level. The report’s lead, copper, PFOA and PFOS tables separately list the reported results and violation status.
How residents can get help
Residents with questions about their water, lead testing or the report can contact the East Orange Water Department at 973-266-8869. The department lists its physical address as 99 S Grove Street, East Orange, NJ 07018.
Customer-service hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The report advises residents concerned about household lead to ask the department about testing. It also recommends flushing plumbing before drinking and using a filter certified by an accredited certifier to reduce lead when appropriate.
Bottom line
East Orange’s 2025 testing, as summarized in the 2026 report, produced a 2.65 ppb lead 90th-percentile result, with no sampled sites above the 15 ppb action level. Copper was also below its listed action level at all 30 sampled sites. The report records PFOA and PFOS detections below the stated New Jersey limits, while disclosing late consumer notices and late paperwork or monitoring-result submissions. PFAS treatment remains a stated pursuit, not a completed project.
Sources
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