Cliffside Park Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Cliffside Park, New Jersey, in Bergen County on the Palisades cliffs overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline, receives its municipal water from Suez Water New Jersey (formerly United Water New Jersey), which draws from the Wanaque Reservoir and Oradell Reservoir in the Ramapo Highlands watershed of northern New Jersey. The Wanaque Reservoir, the largest lake in New Jersey, stores water from the Ramapo Mountain watershed before transmission through the Suez distribution system serving northeastern Bergen County communities including Cliffside Park's dense urban hillside neighborhoods.

The moderate 105.5 mg/L hardness reflects the Ramapo Highlands' mixed watershed geology. The Ramapo Mountains are underlain primarily by Precambrian Grenville-age gneisses and schists — ancient crystalline metamorphic rocks with limited carbonate content that produce inherently soft source water. As watersheds drain toward the valley floor, they encounter Triassic red sandstone and conglomerate of the Newark Basin and isolated carbonate lenses, contributing modest amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium to the supply. Treatment processes also add alkalinity adjustment chemicals that contribute marginally to final hardness.

At 105.5 mg/L, Cliffside Park's water is moderately hard — in the comfortable middle range for a dense Bergen County urban community. Appliances scale gradually over months rather than weeks, soap lathers adequately, and the dishwasher produces reasonably clean glassware with rinse aid. Semi-annual descaling of kettles and coffee machines is sufficient. The more significant concern for Cliffside Park residents is the elevated PFAS level of 8.9 ppt — Bergen County has some of New Jersey's highest PFAS readings from industrial and landfill sources in the Hackensack Valley corridor. Residents are advised to use a certified reverse osmosis filter for all drinking and cooking water.