Plainfield
Plainfield, NJ water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Plainfield is a small but growing city and the 28th-largest in New Jersey, home to roughly 51,217 residents. Plainfield'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; Plainfield 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 Plainfield below.
At a glance
- Population ~51,217 (28th-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 Plainfield?
Plainfield is served by community water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Statewide, 29.8% of New Jersey's systems have a recent health-based violation. Check your provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report for local results.
Where does Plainfield get its water?
Plainfield draws from the same regional sources that serve New Jersey: 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.
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