Water softeners and filtration in Burlington County

Local findings

• PFAS near the Joint Base

  Groundwater at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has some of the highest PFAS levels found at any U.S. site. The military tested private wells in Pemberton and New Hanover townships and found some above federal advisory levels.

  Source: USGS: PFAS near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Across the region

• Acidic, iron-prone well water

  This area sits on the sandy aquifers of the Coastal Plain. Water in the widely used Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer is naturally acidic, which can corrode pipes and leave blue-green stains, and some aquifers here carry a lot of iron. USGS testing also found radium above the federal limit in about a third of sampled Kirkwood-Cohansey wells in southern New Jersey.

• PFAS limits

  New Jersey was the first state to set limits for PFAS "forever chemicals": 14 parts per trillion for PFOA and 13 for PFOS and PFNA. Public utilities must meet them. Private wells are only tested when a home is sold or leased.

• Hardness varies by town

  New Jersey's median tap water is moderately hard, about 5 grains per gallon, and it changes a lot from one supplier to the next. Your water test tells you exactly where you stand.