waterbycounty
EPA SDWIS

Ocean County Water Quality

Ocean County, New Jersey

Water Grade

B

Water Score

63.0

Violations

32

State Rank

#7

of 21 (1 = best)

EPA SDWIS Compliance

Drinking Water Quality

Water Quality Grade

B

Based on EPA compliance history and violation data

Water Score

63/100

Higher = better quality

Health Violations

32

Health-based violations

Violation Rate

4.7%

Systems with violations

Water Advisory: Ocean County

Water Verdict

Ocean County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 63.0 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Ocean County has recorded 32 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 4.7 violations per 1,000 residents, this rate is moderate and suggests recurring water quality challenges.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Ocean County is generally safe to drink based on available data. Residents should still review their utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for transparency on detected contaminants. With 32 recorded health violations, staying informed about utility communications and boil-water notices is especially important. For long-term peace of mind, request your utility's latest Consumer Confidence Report and consider independent water testing if you have specific health concerns.

Regional Context

Ocean County has better water quality than the average county in New Jersey. Its water score is 7.3 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

92.3%

12 of 13 assessed

High concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PCBS IN FISH TISSUE

  • 2

    MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE

  • 3

    DDT 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

833

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

134K

134,420 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Microbiological
  • Nutrient

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

109cfs

May 14, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

52%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Toms River near Toms River NJ

USGS site
01408500
Drainage area
123 sq mi
Long-term mean
210 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; "% of typical" compares the latest reading against that average.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Ocean County, New Jersey?
Ocean County, New Jersey has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 63.0/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 32 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and live streamflow are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Ocean County?
Ocean County has 32 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 Ocean County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 92.3% of Ocean County's 13 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (12 impaired). The top reported causes are PCBS IN FISH TISSUE, MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE, DDT 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 Ocean County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 134,420 measurements from 833 monitoring sites in Ocean County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Microbiological, Nutrient. 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 Ocean County right now?
Ocean County's primary USGS streamgage on the Toms River is currently reading 109 cubic feet per second — 52% of the long-term mean of 210.11 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For genuine real-time data, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Ocean County water compare to the New Jersey average?
Ocean County's SDWIS water quality score of 63.0/100 is higher 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 Ocean County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Ocean County has a water quality grade of B (63.0/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. 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 Ocean County have so many water violations?
Ocean County has 32 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 Ocean County rank for water quality in New Jersey?
Ocean County ranks #7 out of 21 counties in New Jersey by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 63.0/100, it falls in the top 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

Mercer County

New Jersey

B

62.3

Water score

Warren County

New Jersey

B

64.1

Water score

Middlesex County

New Jersey

C

61.7

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, 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 Logan Johnson, Founder & Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Logan Johnson, Founder & Data Editor

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