Passaic County, NJ
Well Pump and Well Water Service in Northern Passaic County, New Jersey
Passaic County splits in two. The northern highlands — West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque and Bloomingdale — are where the private wells are. Most of the southern half of the county is on public water.
Passaic County splits in two
The northern highlands — West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque and Bloomingdale — are reservoir-and-mountain towns where private wells are common. Most of the southern half of the county, including Paterson, Clifton, Passaic and the towns around them, is on public water. So when we say we cover Passaic County, we mean the northern end, and we'd rather say that than list towns where nobody has a well.
A real drive from Wantage
Northern Passaic County is the furthest regular run we make, out along Route 23 and around the reservoirs. We work there and we schedule it, and we'll give you a straight arrival window when you call rather than an hour we can't hit from Wantage.
Where the wells are in this county
All in the northern highlands. For orientation, the well country here runs through the Wanaque Reservoir and the Monksville Reservoir, Greenwood Lake, Norvin Green State Forest and Ramapo Mountain State Forest and Ramapo Lake, Ringwood Manor and Ringwood State Park, Back Beach Park in Wanaque, and the Wallisch Homestead and the West Milford Museum. South of that line, the county is on public water.
What we do here
Well pump replacement and repair, pressure tank and T-package replacement, low water pressure diagnosis, well water testing, chlorination and shock disinfection, water softening, iron/manganese/sediment filtration, UV disinfection, and well system maintenance.
Who regulates your well in Passaic County
NJDEP regulates the construction of private wells; regulation of a private well after it is built is the responsibility of the local health department. Where a local requirement and the State requirement overlap, the more stringent of the two is followed. See our who regulates your well page for the full picture.
Passaic County is the one where the answer changes town by town. The Passaic County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division handles septic and well approvals and inspections for its member municipalities, and its inspectors are assigned to Prospect Park, Haledon, Woodland Park, West Milford and Wanaque.
That means if your well is in West Milford or Wanaque, the county is your health authority. If it's in Ringwood or Bloomingdale, it isn't — those municipalities run their own local health departments, and the right call is to your township rather than the county. If you're in Ringwood or Bloomingdale, call your township directly; we're not going to guess a number on your behalf.
Passaic County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division
930 Riverview Drive, Suite 250, Totowa, NJ 07512
973-881-4396 ext. 1339 · REHSrequests@passaiccountynj.org
For West Milford and Wanaque. Ringwood and Bloomingdale run their own local health departments — call your township.
The towns we cover in Passaic County
Selling or renting a home on a well here
New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act, N.J.S.A. 58:12A-26, requires that the untreated water from a private well be tested when a property served by that well is sold, and requires landlords to test every five years and give tenants a copy of the results. The buyer and seller must both receive and review the results before closing. Uranium is a required test parameter under the Act in Passaic County; mercury is not. NJDEP estimates the average cost of the testing at $1,200 to $1,500 and says approximately 25% of the wells in the State have been tested under the Act. See our Private Well Testing Act page and the NJDEP PWTA page.
Drilling a new well and sealing an old one are a different licence — a licensed well driller — and we don't do that work. See our NJ pump installer licence page.
Where we are
Our Passaic County work is centred on the northern highlands around West Milford, NJ 07480.
Straight answers
Questions we get on this one
Do you cover all of Passaic County?
No — the northern end. Passaic County splits in two. The northern highlands — West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque and Bloomingdale — are reservoir-and-mountain towns where private wells are common. Most of the southern half of the county, including Paterson, Clifton, Passaic and the towns around them, is on public water. So when we say we cover Passaic County, we mean the northern end, and we'd rather say that than list towns where nobody has a well.
Who is my health authority in West Milford?
The county. The Passaic County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division handles septic and well approvals and inspections for its member municipalities, and its inspectors are assigned to West Milford and Wanaque (among others). If your well is in West Milford, the county is your health authority.
Who is my health authority in Ringwood?
The township, not the county. Ringwood and Bloomingdale run their own local health departments, so the right call is to your township rather than the county. We're not going to guess a number on your behalf — call your township directly.
Are there many private wells in Passaic County?
In the northern highlands, yes — West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque and Bloomingdale are well country. In the southern half of the county, no: Paterson, Clifton, Passaic and the towns around them are on public water. That's why our Passaic County work is all in the north.
Is uranium testing required here?
Uranium is a required test parameter under the Private Well Testing Act in Passaic County. Mercury is not a required parameter here. We name uranium; we don't publish a concentration — the standard is set by NJDEP.
How quickly can you get to West Milford?
Northern Passaic County is the furthest regular run we make, out along Route 23 and around the reservoirs. We work there and we schedule it, and we'll give you a straight arrival window when you call rather than an hour we can't hit from Wantage. Call us and we'll tell you straight when we can be there.
Do I need a water test to sell a house here?
Yes. New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act requires that the untreated water from a private well be tested when a property served by that well is sold, and the buyer and seller must both receive and review the results before closing. Landlords must test every five years and give tenants a copy. See our Private Well Testing Act page for the full requirements.