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Is Upper Montclair Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 7:50 pm, August 11, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in Upper Montclair?

Yes, Upper Montclair's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as Upper Montclair has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.

According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, Upper Montclair's water utility, Cedar Grove Water Dept, had 1 non-health-based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for Upper Montclair was resolved on June 30, 2019. This assessment is based on the Cedar Grove Water Dept water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.

While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.

The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.

Upper Montclair Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years

Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named Cedar Grove Water Dept for Upper Montclair in New Jersey. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.

For the compliance period beginning Dec. 30, 2019, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Lead Consumer Notice which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Lead and Copper Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Lead and Copper Rule.

From Jan. 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Water Quality Parameter M/R which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Lead and Copper Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Lead and Copper Rule.

For the compliance period beginning July 1, 2018, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Other Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Consumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report which falls into the Other rule code group, and the Consumer Confidence Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Consumer Confidence Rule.

From Dec. 1, 2016 to Feb. 28, 2017, Upper Montclair had 2 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant codes: TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5).

For the compliance period beginning Oct. 1, 2016, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Lead and Copper Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Lead and Copper Rule.

From Nov. 1, 2014 to Nov. 30, 2014, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Surface Water Treatment Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Surface Water Treatment Rule.

From March 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Surface Water Treatment Rules rule code family for the following contaminant code: Surface Water Treatment Rule.

From Jan. 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014, Upper Montclair had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) which falls into the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code group, and the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Chlorine.

Is there Lead in Upper Montclair Water?

Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the Upper Montclair water system, Cedar Grove Water Dept, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.0 mg/L of lead in Upper Montclair water. This is 0% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from Upper Montclair contained more lead.

While Upper Montclair water testing may have found 0.0 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.

No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.

Are there PFAS in Upper Montclair Tap Water?

Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - Picatinny Arsenal - near Upper Montclair with suspected leaks.

With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if Upper Montclair has been evaluated for yet.

Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.

Upper Montclair SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years

Compliance Period Status Health-Based? Category Code Code Rule Code Contaminant Code Rule Group Code Rule Family Code
12/30/2019 - Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Lead Consumer Notice (66) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
01/01/2019 - 06/30/2019 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
07/01/2018 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Consumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report (71) Consumer Confidence Rule (420) Consumer Confidence Rule (7000) Other (400) Consumer Confidence Rule (420)
12/01/2016 - 02/28/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) (27) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) TTHM (2950) Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220)
12/01/2016 - 02/28/2017 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) (27) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220) Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) (2456) Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (220)
10/01/2016 - Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Follow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R (52) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
11/01/2014 - 11/30/2014 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) (36) Surface Water Treatment Rule (121) Surface Water Treatment Rule (0200) Microbials (100) Surface Water Treatment Rules (120)
03/01/2014 - 03/31/2014 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring of Treatment (SWTR-Filter) (36) Surface Water Treatment Rule (121) Surface Water Treatment Rule (0200) Microbials (100) Surface Water Treatment Rules (120)
01/01/2014 - 03/31/2014 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring and Reporting (DBP) (27) Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210) Chlorine (0999) Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (200) Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (210)

What do these Violations Mean?

Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.

Health Based Violations

  1. Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
  2. Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
  3. Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.

Non-Health Based Violations

  1. Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
  2. Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
  3. Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.

SDWA Table Key

Field Description
Compliance Period Dates of the compliance period.
Status Current status of the violation.
  • Resolved - The violation has at least one resolving enforcement action. In SDWIS, this indicates that either the system has returned to compliance from the violation, the rule that was violated was no longer applicable, or no further action was needed.
  • Archived - The violation is not Resolved, but is more than five years past its compliance period end date. In keeping with the Enforcement Response Policy, the violation no longer contributes to the public water system's overall compliance status. Unresolved violations are also marked as Archived when a system ceases operations (becomes inactive).
  • Addressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and is addressed by one or more formal enforcement actions.
  • Unaddressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and has not been addressed by formal enforcement.
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Health-Based? Whether the violation is health based.
Category Code
The category of violation that is reported.
  • TT - Treatment Technique Violation
  • MRDL - Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level
  • Other - Other Violation
  • MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level Violation
  • MR - Monitoring and Reporting
  • MON - Monitoring Violation
  • RPT - Reporting Violation
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Code A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table.
Contaminant Code A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation.
Rule Code Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rule
  • 121 - Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 122 - Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 123 - Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Ground Water Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 331 - Nitrates
  • 332 - Arsenic
  • 333 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 111 - Revised Total Coliform Rule
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Rule Group Code Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
  • 120 - Surface Water Treatment Rules
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Groundwater Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 330 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rules
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
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Rule Family Code Code for rule family.
  • 100 - Microbials
  • 200 - Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 300 - Chemicals
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
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For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.

Upper Montclair Water - Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I CONTACT UPPER MONTCLAIR CUSTOMER SERVICE?
To contact customer service for the Upper Montclair water provider, Cedar Grove Water Dept, please use the information below.
By Mail: 340 LITTLE FALLS RD
CEDAR GROVE, NJ, 07009
HOW TO PAY BILL FOR CEDAR GROVE WATER DEPT
Already have an account?

Existing customers can login to their Cedar Grove Water Dept account to pay their Upper Montclair water bill by clicking here.

Want to create a new account?

If you want to pay your Cedar Grove Water Dept bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your Upper Montclair water bill.

Want to pay without an account?

If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your Upper Montclair water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.

HOW TO START & STOP UPPER MONTCLAIR WATER SERVICE
Starting Your Service

Moving to a new house or apartment in Upper Montclair means you will often need to put the water in your name with Cedar Grove Water Dept. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.

Start Service Form

Want to create a new account?

Leaving your house or apartment in Upper Montclair means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with Cedar Grove Water Dept. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.

Stop Service Form

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

Upper Montclair tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 39% Low
  • Water Pollution 46% Moderate
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 61% High
  • Water Quality 54% Moderate

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in Upper Montclair, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Related FAQS

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

Sources and Resources

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