PFAS

PFAS have been found in the bodies of an estimated 97 percent of Americans, with research linking exposure to potential health risks. Residents can use NJ’s PFAS mapping tool to check local water quality and take steps to limit exposure.

A new kind of water crisis has been unfolding, driven not by visible pollution or failing pipes, but by PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals” found in drinking water across the state. While federal standards lagged for years, New Jersey moved early, building its own testing programs and enforcing strict limits. Read more on how New Jersey became a national leader in the fight against PFAS.

New Jersey’s water story began in crisis: contaminated rivers, cholera outbreaks, and failing private suppliers. Out of that turmoil came reservoirs, treatment plants, and the regional systems we rely on today. Now those systems are aging, and the state faces a new era of hard choices. How we got here, and what comes next.

Princeton-rooted startup PolyGone is piloting biomimetic filters to remove microplastics from wastewater. Early tests capture hundreds of millions of tiny plastics and could scale across treatment plants to cut pollution.

Governor Mikie Sherrill will be sworn in on January 20, 2026. The state’s aging drinking, waste, and storm water infrastructures will need her immediate attention.

"Researchers have linked exposure to microplastics to an increased risk of certain cancers, yet the particles remain unregulated and unmonitored at the federal level."

"New Jersey is, in many ways, ground zero for some of the worst impacts of PFAS.” Water providers across the tristate area are racing to remove these “forever chemicals” from drinking water through new treatment systems and stricter testing.

"The well, located at a self-storage facility, recorded a total PFAS concentration of 18,997 parts per trillion, the highest ever seen in New Jersey and among the highest in the nation."