Helmetta Water Dept, NJ
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 0.68 ppb (monitoring period 2026-2026). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. Lead was measured in sampled homes but the 90th percentile is under both action levels. EPA's health goal for lead is zero, so test your own tap if your home was built before 1986 or anyone in it is pregnant or a young child.
Who runs the water here
Helmetta Water Dept serves about 2,000 people through 878 service connections, which makes it a small system under EPA's size classes. It is owned by a local government (city, town, county or district) and draws surface water, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. EPA system ID: NJ1206001; phone on file: 732-978-0364. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Helmetta Water Dept's lead record
Against the period ending 2025 (0.91 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Helmetta Water Dept is 10.1 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb (1 over 10 ppb).
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.68 ppb |
| 2025 | 0.91 ppb |
| 2025 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2021 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2018 | 10.1 ppb over 10 |
Where this result ranks
Of the 605 New Jersey systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 1 ppb; 5 are over 15 ppb right now and 52 have gone over at some point. Helmetta Water Dept's 0.68 ppb sits at the 45th percentile in New Jersey and the 46th nationally (higher means more lead).
Other water systems in Middlesex County
13 other systems share Middlesex County; 8 of them have a higher latest lead result than Helmetta Water Dept. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex Water Company | 233,376 | 0.85 ppb |
| Old Bridge Mua | 68,000 | 1.75 ppb |
| New Brunswick W Dept | 55,000 | 1.78 ppb |
| Perth Amboy Water Department | 52,328 | 0 (not detected) |
| East Brunswick Water Utility | 49,715 | 0.4 ppb |
| Sayreville W Dept | 45,345 | 0.54 ppb |
| North Brunswick W Dept | 43,905 | 2.4 ppb |
| Monroe Twp Utility Department | 36,000 | 1.34 ppb |
| Edison Water Co | 35,000 | 1.18 ppb |
| South River W Dept | 16,000 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Helmetta, NJ
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Helmetta, NJ may offer free or low-cost kits through the utility. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Helmetta Water Dept whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. The action level is dropping - the 10 ppb rule from 2027.