Public water system record
South Orange Water Department
Serves an area of Essex County, NJ · 16,964 people served
Federal records show no health-based violations and 1 monitoring/reporting issue for South Orange Water Department in the last ten years.
System profile
- Health-based violations, last 10 years
- 0
- Resolved
- 0
- Unresolved
- 0
- Any acute record
- No
- Monitoring issues, last 10 years
- 1
Key facts
- South Orange Water Department buys its water from East Orange Water Commission and NJ American Water - Short Hills.
- Most recent formal enforcement: administrative penalty by New Jersey, January 2017.
- Record on file since 1988, with 1 health-based violation before October 19, 2016.
- Lead pipe inventory: 42 lead and 4,551 unknown out of 4,876 service lines.
Check whether South Orange Water Department serves your address
Health-based violations
Since October 2016Violation data reflects EPA records through March 2026. For the most current status, visit the EPA ECHO database.
None since October 2016.
Monitoring and reporting issues
Since October 2016Missed tests or reports, not contaminants found above a limit.
| Issue | Start date | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Lead and Copper Rule
Monitoring and reporting
|
Jul 1, 2016 | Resolved |
Full record since 1988
EPA's records for South Orange Water Department go back to 1988. Before October 19, 2016 they list 1 health-based violation (1 archived by EPA without a recorded fix) and 30 monitoring or reporting violations.
| Violations that began in | Health-based | Monitoring and reporting |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 | 8 |
| 1990s | 1 | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 | 7 |
| 2010 to October 18, 2016 | 0 | 15 |
Most recent health-based violation before October 19, 2016: Total Coliform, began August 1992, Archived.
Show the health-based violation before October 19, 2016
| Contaminant | Start date | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Total Coliform
Contaminant limit exceeded
|
Aug 1, 1992 | Archived |
Enforcement actions
New Jersey regulators took 4 formal enforcement actions against South Orange Water Department between 1991 and 2017, filed as 25 records in EPA's data. The most recent was an administrative penalty in January 2017.
| Date | By | Action | Violations covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 2017 | New Jersey | Administrative penalty | 12 violations: Chromium (total), Fluoride, Mercury, Nickel, Antimony, Total |
| Aug 31, 1991 | New Jersey | Administrative penalty | 8 violations: Barium, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium (total), Mercury |
| Aug 31, 1991 | New Jersey | Signed compliance agreement | 8 violations: Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium (total), Mercury |
| Aug 31, 1991 | New Jersey | Compliance order (no penalty) | 8 violations: Barium, Cadmium, Chromium (total), Arsenic, Selenium |
Where the water comes from
South Orange Water Department buys its water from East Orange Water Commission and NJ American Water - Short Hills. It lists no wells or intakes of its own. It also has a seasonal connection to Newark Water Department.
Buys water from
- East Orange Water Commission East Orange, NJ
- NJ American Water - Short Hills Short Hills, NJ
Emergency or part-time connections to
- Newark Water Department Newark, NJ
Annual water quality report
South Orange Water Department must give its customers an annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report) by July 1, with the levels its tests found in the previous year.
Systems serving 10,000 or more people must mail or deliver the report to every customer, and from 2027 they must send it twice a year.
Find a posted report with EPA's Consumer Confidence Report search
Testing your own water
To test the water at your tap, or a private well this record does not cover, use a laboratory certified for drinking water by New Jersey.
Certified drinking water labs by state EPA guidance for private wells