In 2001, the state of New Jersey created a law called the Private Well Testing Act which, among many other things, requires:
• Potable Water Wells must be tested for a specific list of parameters whenever the property is sold (transferred) or leased (rented), effective September 14, 2002.
• Buyer and Seller must certify they have reviewed the results.
• Lessors are required to perform periodic testing – effective March, 2004.
• The laboratory performing the analysis must be NJDEP certified.
• The laboratory must report the results electronically to the NJDEP and follow a notification process in case of failed results.
The Private Well Testing Act (PWTA) requires testing for over 30 contaminants that are regulated by the EPA and NJDEP. The laboratory must be NJDEP certified and use approved safe drinking water methods established in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:18, Regulations Governing the Certification of Laboratories and Environmental Measurements.
The Act specifies that the following contaminants be tested in the well water:
• Fecal Coliform or E. coli
• Nitrate
• Iron
• pH
• Lead
• Total Coliform
• Manganese
• Volatile Organics
• Arsenic
Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren
• Mercury
Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem
• Gross Alpha Radionuclides
Phase in period: Cumberland and Gloucester – 180 days after the effective date;
Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Salem – 1 year after the effective date
Cape May, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean – 18 months after the effective date.
• A NJDEP State Certified Laboratory must perform the sampling and analysis
• The PWTA requires that raw, untreated water be sampled
• Sampling of treated water and additional analyses may be required by certain Counties and/or Local Health Departments
• The NJDEP requires specialized reports including electronic submittals and GPS coordinates
