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Federal water data

County water report

Salem County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

22.4

State rank

#21

of 21

Health violations

46

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

100.0%

4 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

154

26,332 recent measurements

Live streamflow

49%

Maurice River at Norma NJ

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Salem County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 22.4 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

46

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

100% impaired

4 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

49% of mean

Maurice River at Norma NJ

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

154

26,332 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

22.4/100

Health violations

46

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

107.3

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Salem County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Salem County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 22.4 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 46 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 (4 of 4 water bodies) across Salem 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 2026-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00) puts Maurice River at 80.8 cfs — well below its long-term average at 49% 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. Salem County has extensive coverage with 154 active monitoring sites with 26,332 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 Salem County

Water Verdict

Salem County, New Jersey receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 22.4 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans. Separately, EPA ATTAINS assessments cover 4 water bodies in the county's watershed, with 100.0% listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act — a source-water measure that is tracked independently of tap-water compliance. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was below its historical mean at 49.0% — worth watching in drier seasons.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Salem County, New Jersey show 46 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 107.3 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 26,332 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Salem County has a Grade F compliance record with 46 health-based violations — among the highest levels in the country. Salem County's drinking-water compliance score is 22.4 out of 100. Residents are strongly advised to use a certified NSF 58 reverse-osmosis filter or bottled water for all drinking and cooking until violations are corrected. Contacting the New Jersey Department of Environmental Quality or Health can expedite utility compliance action. Ddt in Fish Tissue is the leading impairment cause in Salem County's watershed. With 154 active water-quality monitoring sites in Salem County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the Maurice River gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Salem County has poorer water quality than the average county in New Jersey. Its water score is 33.3 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 Salem 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 Salem County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Salem County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Salem 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%

4 of 4 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

154

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

26K

26,332 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance
  • 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

80.8cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

49%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

Maurice River at Norma NJ

USGS site
01411500
Drainage area
112 sq mi
Long-term mean
165 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.

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Water Cost Estimate

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Annual Total

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Monthly

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Filter Cost

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Safety Grade for Salem County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

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 Salem County, New Jersey?
Salem County, New Jersey has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 22.4/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 46 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 Salem County?
Salem County has 46 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 Salem County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 100.0% of Salem County's 4 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (4 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 Salem County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 26,332 measurements from 154 monitoring sites in Salem County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, PFAS,Perfluorinated Alkyl Substance, 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 Salem County right now?
Salem County's primary USGS streamgage on the Maurice River has a pipeline snapshot of 80.8 cubic feet per second — 49% of the long-term mean of 165.07 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 Salem County water compare to the New Jersey average?
Salem County's SDWIS water quality score of 22.4/100 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 Salem County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Salem County has a water quality grade of F (22.4/100). 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 Salem County have so many water violations?
Salem County has 46 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 Salem County rank for water quality in New Jersey?
Salem County ranks #21 out of 21 counties in New Jersey by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 22.4/100, 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

Sussex County

New Jersey

F

28.3

Water score

Cumberland County

New Jersey

F

30.4

Water score

Hunterdon County

New Jersey

F

30.5

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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