Sussex Borough, NJ
Well Pump and Well Water Service in Sussex Borough, New Jersey
Sussex is a small borough entirely surrounded by Wantage Township — where we're based. If you're on a private well in the borough, this is the work we do.
A borough wrapped by our township
Sussex is a borough — a small, compact municipality — entirely surrounded by Wantage Township, where Sunrise Pump & Well Water Service is based. That geographic relationship is the whole story of this page: the shop is in the township that wraps around this borough, so the borough is next door. According to the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,024. It sits along County Road 628 and Loomis Avenue, and it's more built up than the rural townships around it.
Getting here
It's next door. Sussex Borough is surrounded by Wantage, where we're based, so there's no drive worth measuring — it's a straight run in.
Wells in Sussex Borough
A small built-up borough is a different picture from the rural townships around it. Some properties in a place like this are on public water while others are on private wells, and we're not going to tell you which is which on your block — that's a question your municipal office can answer. If you're on a private well in the borough, this is what we do: pump replacement and repair, pressure tank and T-package replacement, low pressure diagnosis, water testing, chlorination, softening, filtration, UV disinfection and maintenance. And if you're not sure which you're on, that's the first thing to settle, because the answer changes everything about what comes next.
What we do here
For the properties in the borough that are on a private well, the work is the same range we do across Sussex County — pump and tank replacement, pressure diagnosis, water treatment — just on smaller, tighter lots than out in the township. Because we're next door, a follow-up isn't a scheduling problem.
Who regulates your well if you live here
NJDEP sets the rules for how a well is constructed; once it's in the ground, the local health department takes over. For Sussex Borough, as for every Sussex County town, that means the Sussex County Office of Environmental Health — one office covering all 24 municipalities. Reach them at 201 Wheatsworth Road, Hamburg, NJ 07419, 973-579-0370, health@sussex.nj.us, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Where local and State rules overlap, the stricter one wins. See our who regulates your well page.
Selling or renting a home on a well here
New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act, N.J.S.A. 58:12A-26, requires the untreated water from a private well to 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. Both buyer and seller must receive and review the results before closing. Uranium is a required test parameter 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.
Drilling a new well and sealing an old one are a different licence — a licensed well driller — and we don't do that work.
Where we are
Straight answers
Questions we get on this one
Is Sussex Borough on public water or wells?
It varies. A small, built-up borough like Sussex is a different picture from the rural townships around it — some properties are on public water and some are on private wells. We don't state which is which, because we'd be guessing on your block. If you're not sure which you're on, your municipal office can tell you. If you're on a private well in the borough, that's the work we do.
How do I know whether I have a well?
The clearest signs are a pressure tank and a pressure gauge somewhere in your basement or utility area, a pressure switch on the tank tee, and a well cap outside. If you get a water bill from a utility, you're almost certainly on public water. If you're unsure, the borough office can confirm it.
You're in Wantage, do you come into the borough?
Yes. Sussex Borough is entirely surrounded by Wantage Township, where we're based, so the borough is next door. There's no drive worth putting a number on — it's a straight run in.
Who do I call about my well in Sussex Borough?
NJDEP handles how a well is built; after that it's the local health department. In Sussex County that's the Sussex County Office of Environmental Health, covering all 24 municipalities from one office — 201 Wheatsworth Road, Hamburg, NJ 07419 · 973-579-0370 · health@sussex.nj.us · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Do I need a test to sell here?
Yes. The Private Well Testing Act requires the untreated water from a private well to 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 test every five years. See our Private Well Testing Act page for the details.
What's the difference between the borough and the township?
Sussex Borough is a small, compact municipality — according to the 2020 United States census, its population was 2,024 — entirely surrounded by Wantage Township, which is large and rural. The borough is more built up, which is why the public-water-or-well question comes up here in a way it doesn't out in the township.