Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy, NJ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
perth amboy water department
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID NJ1216001
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Perth Amboy is a small but growing city and the 27th-largest in New Jersey, home to roughly 52,682 residents. Perth Amboy's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve New Jersey: Delaware River, reservoirs, and coastal aquifers.
As elsewhere in New Jersey, the central challenge is pfas contamination. Among the first states to set strict PFAS limits; dense development strains aging systems.
New Jersey reuses an estimated 6% of its treated wastewater and maintains developing reuse programs; Perth Amboy tracks severe to extreme drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the New Jersey profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Perth Amboy below.
Middlesex County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~52,682 (27th-largest in New Jersey)
- Primary sources: Delaware River, reservoirs, and coastal aquifers
- Drought: severe to extreme conditions
- State reuse rate: ~6% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of New Jersey in severe+ drought (Extreme (D3) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Perth Amboy?
Perth Amboy's largest water system, PERTH AMBOY WATER DEPARTMENT, serves about 52,328 people. EPA records show 7 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 0 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Perth Amboy get its water?
PERTH AMBOY WATER DEPARTMENT draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of New Jersey's supply from Delaware River, reservoirs, coastal aquifers.
Related water issues
PFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
ExploreAging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExploreSaltwater Intrusion
As coastal aquifers are over-pumped and seas rise, saltwater pushes inland and contaminates freshwater supplies for cities from Florida to California.
Explore