What's Going on with New Jersey’s Water?

Advisory Report - April 2003

What's Going on with New Jersey’s Water?

New Jersey’s new water testing procedures are making waves. Officially titled the New Jersey Private Well Testing Act, this new regulation went into effect on September 14, 2002, and it governs all property sales where the drinking water supply comes from a well. 

Approximately 12% of all homes in New Jersey receive drinking water from a private well, which affects 20,000 to 30,000 real estate transactions annually. Both the buyer and seller must certify in writing that they have reviewed the test results. The cost of the test, which varies from $450 to $650, is expected to be paid by the seller. 

Test requirements vary between counties in New Jersey, but one major provision in the law is that a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-certified laboratory must collect the sample and perform the lab analysis. Each property must also have Global Positioning System coordinates recorded at the time of inspection using handheld GPS technology.

For further information on the New Jersey Well Testing act, please visit http://www.state.nj.us/dep/pwta/.

Contributed by Brian Lynch
Relocation Account Specialist
U.S. Inspect, LLC