Is there PFAS in Ridgewood Water tap water?

Yes, and above the federal limit. The highest PFOA or PFOS reading was 31.4 parts per trillion, against a limit of 4.

Ridgewood Water is a public water system in New Jersey, serving more than 10,000 people. The EPA required almost every system in the country to test for 29 PFAS compounds and published every result. These are that system’s own readings, not an estimate and not ours.

Every compound tested, 9 of 29 found

CompoundHighest readingFederal limitDetected in
PFOA31.4 ppt4 ppt33 of 38 samples
PFPeA26.7 pptno federal limit37 of 38 samples
PFHxA16.3 pptno federal limit35 of 38 samples
PFOS13.8 ppt4 ppt29 of 38 samples
PFBA10.7 pptno federal limit32 of 38 samples
PFBS8.6 pptno federal limit30 of 38 samples
PFHpA7.2 pptno federal limit30 of 38 samples
PFHxS4.9 ppt10 pptEPA has proposed withdrawing this limit22 of 38 samples
PFHpS3 pptno federal limit1 of 38 samples
11Cl-PF3OUdSnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
4:2 FTSnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
6:2 FTSnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
8:2 FTSnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
9Cl-PF3ONSnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
ADONAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
HFPO-DAnot detected10 pptEPA has proposed withdrawing this limit0 of 38 samples
NEtFOSAAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
NFDHAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
NMeFOSAAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFDAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFDoAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFEESAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFMBAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFMPAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFNAnot detected10 pptEPA has proposed withdrawing this limit0 of 38 samples
PFPeSnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFTAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFTrDAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples
PFUnAnot detectedno federal limit0 of 38 samples

Every row is a compound the EPA required this system to test for, whether it was found or not. Readings are the highest single result the system reported. Compliance is judged on an annual average, so one high sample is not by itself a violation. “Not detected” means below the level the laboratory method can measure, which is not the same as zero. Last sample 3/4/2025.

What actually removes it

Boiling does not remove PFAS and concentrates it. Reverse osmosis and certified activated carbon do. These are the highest-graded filters in our database, scored 0 to 100 on the chemistry of the filter itself.

All water filter grades →

ZIP codes this system serves

07432, 07450, 07452, 07481

Other systems in New Jersey

Source, the EPA’s fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, final dataset published 2026-10-15. Original data → Figures are the system’s own reported results. Water quality changes, and a result from the monitoring period is not a statement about what is in the tap today.