Fair Lawn Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)
Water Hardness
9.8 grains per gallon
Source
reservoir
pH Level
8.2
neutral = 7.0
Lead
0.008 mg/L
✓ Below action level
TDS
433.1 mg/L
Est. Daily Cost
$0.45
energy & soap waste
Source: USGS Water Quality Portal · Updated 2026
0–60
mg/L
Soft
61–120
mg/L
Moderately Hard
121–180
mg/L
Hard
180+
mg/L
Very Hard
Appliance Damage Report
In Fair Lawn, your appliances are currently losing 22% efficiency due to mineral buildup.
| Appliance | In Fair Lawn | Soft Water City | Efficiency Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettle | 4 yrs | 8.5 yrs | -53% |
| Washing Machine | 7.4 yrs | 12 yrs | -38% |
| Water Heater | 8.9 yrs | 15 yrs | -41% |
Regional Water Comparison
How Fair Lawn compares to its nearest neighbours
| City | Hardness | PFAS (ppt) | Risk | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ Fair Lawn, New Jersey | 168.5 mg/L | 12.4 ppt | 🟠 Hard | reservoir |
| Hawthorne, New Jersey | 84.5 mg/L | 7.7 ppt | 🟡 Moderately Hard | reservoir |
| Elmwood Park, New Jersey | 160 mg/L | 11.9 ppt | 🟠 Hard | reservoir |
| Ridgewood, New Jersey | 38 mg/L | 5.1 ppt | 🟢 Soft | reservoir |
| Paterson, New Jersey | 141.5 mg/L | 10.9 ppt | 🟠 Hard | reservoir |
National Benchmark
How Fair Lawn compares to the USA average
| Benchmark | Hardness | Appliance Risk |
|---|---|---|
| ▶ Fair Lawn | 168.5 mg/L | 🟠 Moderate |
| USA National Avg | 150 mg/L | 🟠 Moderate |
| Badger Top Rated | 8.5 mg/L | 🟢 None |
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What Makes Fair Lawn's Water Unique?
Local geology and source profile
Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in Bergen County — a major northeast New Jersey Bergen County community (Fair Lawn is a significant Bergen County borough in the greater Paterson–Passaic River Valley suburban corridor — a primarily residential community with a diverse commercial corridor along Route 4 and the Garden State Parkway area), home of the Radburn Historic District (Radburn is a planned community in Fair Lawn designed in 1928 by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright as a 'town for the motor age' — one of the most historically significant planned communities in American urban design history, with a distinctive pedestrian-over-automobile design philosophy), a diverse Bergen County community with a significant Jewish-American, Korean-American, and South Asian-American population, and a highly regarded school district in the Bergen County suburban fabric — draws its municipal water supply from the Wanaque Reservoir (Passaic River watershed) via United Water New Jersey. Water hardness in Fair Lawn measures 168.5 mg/L — classified as hard.
Fair Lawn's hard supply reflects the northeast New Jersey Passaic Valley watershed mix of calcareous geology. The Passaic River (Wanaque Reservoir) drains: the Precambrian calcareous-poor Highlands gneiss (the New Jersey Highlands crystalline basement — calcareous-poor); and the Triassic Newark Basin Brunswick Shale (calcareous-moderate red bed sedimentary rock of the Triassic Newark Basin). The combination and treatment produce the hard 168.5 mg/L.
At 168.5 mg/L, Fair Lawn residents face regular hard water challenges. Monthly descaling with citric acid solution is recommended. United Water New Jersey consistently delivers water meeting all New Jersey DEP and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
Geology & Source: River supply from the Passaic River (Wanaque Reservoir watershed) via the United Water New Jersey (Veolia Water NJ) — the Bergen County northeast New Jersey Passaic River Valley (Precambrian calcareous-poor Highlands gneiss and Triassic calcareous-moderate Newark Basin Brunswick shale — the northeast NJ Passaic Valley Triassic and Precambrian mix; Wanaque–Passaic supply with treatment); hard supply at 168.5 mg/L in Bergen County.