Montague Water Co., NJ
Lead detected, under the action levels
Latest 90th-percentile lead: 2 ppb (monitoring period 2024-2026). 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.
About Montague Water Co.
Montague Water Co. serves about 2,165 people through 802 service connections, which makes it a small system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws groundwater, in Sussex County, New Jersey. EPA system ID: NJ1914002; phone on file: 570-213-1447. They can tell you what your service line is made of and whether they pay to replace it.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2023 (1 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Montague Water Co. is 2.98 ppb across 4 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 ppb |
| 2023 | 1 ppb |
| 2020 | 2.98 ppb |
| 2017 | 2.91 ppb |
How Montague Water Co. compares
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. Montague Water Co.'s 2 ppb sits at the 66th percentile in New Jersey and the 72nd nationally (higher means more lead).
Neighbouring systems
59 other systems share Sussex County; 30 of them have a higher latest lead result than Montague Water Co.. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Sparta Twp Water Utility - Lake Mohawk | 17,625 | 1.01 ppb |
| Newton Water & Sewer Utility | 8,300 | 2.75 ppb |
| Hopatcong Water Dept | 7,224 | 9.37 ppb |
| Veolia Water New Jersey Vernon Valley | 5,517 | 0 (not detected) |
| Franklin Bd Of Public Works | 5,500 | 1.09 ppb |
| Stanhope W Dept | 3,730 | 5.88 ppb |
| Hamburg Board Of Public | 3,382 | 2.01 ppb |
| Ogdensburg W Dept | 2,800 | 1.66 ppb |
| Sussex W Dept | 2,201 | 0 (not detected) |
| Hardyston Twp Mua | 1,963 | 0 (not detected) |
Next steps for Montague Township, NJ
Test your own tap with a certified lab first-draw sample; Montague Township, 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 Montague Water Co. 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. The lead result guide covers how utilities pick the homes they sample. Size matters more than most people expect: small vs large water systems.