North Arlington Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

North Arlington, New Jersey, in Bergen County — a Bergen County borough adjacent to Lyndhurst and Kearny on the Passaic River in north New Jersey — receives its municipal water from New Jersey American Water, drawing from the Passaic River (Bergen County) or Wanaque Reservoir through the north New Jersey distribution system.

The moderately hard 107 mg/L hardness and TDS of 222.2 mg/L reflect the north New Jersey Passaic River supply's moderate calcareous Highland character — somewhat softer than the deeper Highland aquifer communities but harder than the Newark/Wanaque surface water communities. The Passaic River at Bergen County drains the New Jersey Highlands — Precambrian Franklin Marble (moderately calcareous metamorphic carbonate), Cambrian Kittatinny Limestone (calcareous), and Precambrian Losee Tonalite Gneiss (insoluble). The mixed calcareous Highland carbonate and insoluble gneiss produces the moderately hard north New Jersey supply.

At 107 mg/L, North Arlington'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 8.9 ppt warrants a certified reverse osmosis drinking water filter — Picatinny Arsenal (Morris County — AFFF migrating into the Passaic watershed) and the New Jersey Highlands industrial PFAS complex contribute to North Arlington's elevated readings.