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Federal water data

County water report

Morris County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Morris County, New Jersey.

Water grade

D

Water score

45.1

State rank

#17

of 21

Health violations

95

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

100.0%

6 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

216

32,381 recent measurements

Live streamflow

32%

Passaic River at Pine Brook NJ

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Morris County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

D

Score: 45.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

95

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

100% impaired

6 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

32% of mean

Passaic River at Pine Brook NJ

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

216

32,381 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

D

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

45.1/100

Health violations

95

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

23.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Morris County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Morris County's drinking water received a D grade, scoring 45.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 95 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A large majority — 100.0% — of assessed waterways are impaired (6 of 6 water bodies) across Morris County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are ddt in fish tissue and pcbs in fish tissue. Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:15:00.000-04:00) puts Passaic River at 206.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 32% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Morris County has extensive coverage with 216 active monitoring sites with 32,381 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and pfas,perfluorinated alkyl substance. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Morris County

Water Verdict

Morris County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of D and a score of 45.1 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Morris County has recorded 95 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 23.6 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Morris County's drinking-water compliance is below average with a Grade D, indicating repeated or unresolved violations in the recent record. Morris County's drinking-water compliance score is 45.1 out of 100. The violation rate for Morris County is 23.6 per 100,000 people served. Residents are encouraged to use an NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter for drinking and cooking water until the underlying violations are resolved. Running tap water for 30 seconds before use and avoiding older lead-pipe connections can also reduce exposure risk. The current Consumer Confidence Report from your utility will specify the contaminants of concern. Ddt in Fish Tissue is the leading impairment cause in Morris County's watershed. With 216 active water-quality monitoring sites in Morris County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Passaic River gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Morris County has poorer water quality than the average county in New Jersey. Its water score is 10.6 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Morris County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Ddt in Fish Tissue

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Pcbs in Fish Tissue

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Chlordane in Fish Tissue

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Morris County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Morris County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Morris County

Consumer Confidence Reports (NJ)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in New Jersey

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

100.0%

6 of 6 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    DDT IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    PCBS IN FISH TISSUE

  • 3

    CHLORDANE IN FISH TISSUE

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

216

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

32K

32,381 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • Biological, Counts

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

206cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

32%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Passaic River at Pine Brook NJ

USGS site
01381900
Drainage area
349 sq mi
Long-term mean
649 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Morris County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Morris County, New Jersey?
Morris County, New Jersey has a drinking-water quality grade of D with a score of 45.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 95 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Morris County?
Morris County has 95 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Morris County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 100.0% of Morris County's 6 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (6 impaired). The top reported causes are DDT IN FISH TISSUE, PCBS IN FISH TISSUE, CHLORDANE IN FISH TISSUE. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Morris County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 32,381 measurements from 216 monitoring sites in Morris County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, Biological, Counts. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Morris County right now?
Morris County's primary USGS streamgage on the Passaic River has a pipeline snapshot of 206 cubic feet per second — 32% of the long-term mean of 649.35 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Morris County water compare to the New Jersey average?
Morris County's SDWIS water quality score of 45.1/100 is lower than the New Jersey state average of 55.7. The average water quality grade across New Jersey is D, based on data from 21 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Morris County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Morris County has a water quality grade of D (45.1/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Morris County have so many water violations?
Morris County has 95 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Morris County rank for water quality in New Jersey?
Morris County ranks #17 out of 21 counties in New Jersey by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 45.1/100, it falls in the bottom third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Passaic County

New Jersey

C

52.8

Water score

Essex County

New Jersey

C

55.8

Water score

Camden County

New Jersey

C

57.5

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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