Millburn Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Millburn, New Jersey, in Essex County — an affluent Essex County township known for the Paper Mill Playhouse (New Jersey's State Theater) and the upscale Millburn downtown, adjacent to Short Hills — receives its municipal water from New Jersey American Water or the Millburn Township Water Department, which draws from the Wanaque Reservoir system (Highlands — soft) or from the Passaic-Rahway watershed system through the Essex County water distribution network.

The moderately hard 111 mg/L hardness and TDS of 234.2 mg/L reflect the mixed New Jersey Highlands and Triassic Basin supply character of the Essex County water system. The Wanaque Reservoir (Highlands — very soft Precambrian gneiss terrain) produces soft raw water (50-80 mg/L), but the Essex County distribution zone blends Wanaque supply with Passaic River water (moderately hard — Triassic calcareous terrain drainage) and supplemental Rahway River basin sources. The moderate 111 mg/L outcome reflects this blending and treatment addition of hardness for corrosion control.

At 111 mg/L, Millburn's water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 9.2 ppt is very high and warrants a certified reverse osmosis drinking water filter — the Newark PFAS plume from the Newark Airport and Kearny industrial corridor, Picatinny Arsenal (Morris County — a documented AFFF/munitions site in the Rockaway River-Passaic watershed), and the dense northern NJ chemical-industrial complex contribute to Millburn's elevated PFAS.