Sussex County, NJ
Well Pump and Well Water Service in Sussex County, New Jersey
This is home. Sunrise is based in Wantage, in the far northwest corner of New Jersey against the New York line, and Sussex County is the county we work in every day.
Sussex County is well country
Sussex County is rural and largely unsewered, and private wells are the norm rather than the exception across the whole county. From the high ground up at High Point State Park and Montague, down through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, across Kittatinny Valley and Swartswood State Park and Swartswood Lake, and over to Lake Hopatcong and Hopatcong State Park, Lake Mohawk in Sparta, and Mountain Creek in Vernon — most of the homes in between are on a well. Franklin and Ogdensburg, with the Franklin Mineral Museum and the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, are the same. That is the reason this business exists here: wells and well water are what most of Sussex County lives on.
Close to home
This is the county we work in every day, and everywhere in it is close to home. We're usually on the road quickly here. We don't put a number on it, because a number we can't hit is worse than no number — but if you're in Sussex County, you're in the county we know best and drive the most.
Where the wells are in this county
Essentially everywhere. Outside the town centres, most houses in Sussex County are on a private well. There is no part of this county where well work is unusual, and no part of it we treat as out of reach.
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 Sussex 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.
In Sussex County specifically, the Sussex County Office of Environmental Health serves all 24 municipalities in the county, and its work includes facility inspections and complaint investigations covering water systems and wells. That is the thing that makes Sussex different from the other two counties we cover: one office, one number, whichever of the 24 towns you live in.
Sussex County Office of Environmental Health
201 Wheatsworth Road, Hamburg, NJ 07419
973-579-0370 · health@sussex.nj.us
Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
The towns we cover in Sussex County
All 24 municipalities:
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 Sussex 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
Sussex County's county seat is Newton, NJ 07860.
Straight answers
Questions we get on this one
Do you cover all of Sussex County?
Yes — all 24 municipalities. Sunrise is based in Wantage, which is in Sussex County, so this is the county we work in every day. Everywhere in it is close to home, and we're usually on the road quickly here.
Who do I call about my well in Sussex County?
The Sussex County Office of Environmental Health serves all 24 municipalities in the county, and its work includes facility inspections and complaint investigations covering water systems and wells. You can reach them at 973-579-0370 or health@sussex.nj.us, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. One office, one number, whichever town you live in — that is not true of the other two counties we cover.
Is well water common in Sussex County?
It's the norm, not the exception. Sussex County is rural and largely unsewered, and private wells are how most homes outside the town centres get their water. It's the reason this business exists here.
Do I need a test to sell a house in Sussex County?
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. See our Private Well Testing Act page for the full requirements.
Is uranium testing required here?
Uranium is a required test parameter under the Private Well Testing Act in Sussex County. Mercury is not a required parameter here. We name uranium; we don't publish a concentration — the standard is set by NJDEP.
Do you work in the towns along the New York line?
Yes. Montague, Sandyston and Walpack sit up against the New York line and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and they're part of the county we work in every day. Walpack Township is almost entirely inside the recreation area and has almost no population, so we list it for completeness rather than as a market.
What do I do if my water goes out in winter?
Check the breaker and the pressure gauge first — the four-item triage on our no-water page walks you through it. Frozen pressure switches and frozen lines in unheated well houses are common here in winter. If none of the quick checks fix it, call us and tell us what the gauge reads.