In Saddle River, the Well Test Now Carries a PFAS Line, and the Sale Can't Close Without It

"A closing of the title for sale on a real property that is subject to the Act may not occur unless both the buyer and seller have received and reviewed a copy of the water test results, and have signed a paper certifying that they have received and reviewed a copy of the results." That sentence comes from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Private Well Testing Act page. In Saddle River it applies to most residential sales.

Since December 2021 the required panel has included three PFAS compounds. NJDEP's testing data for Bergen County shows PFOA as the line most likely to come back over the state limit. In a Saddle River sale, that one line is often the result that decides whether the deal moves on schedule.

Why this law reaches most Saddle River sales

The Act covers any sale of a property that gets its drinking water from a private well on the lot, new construction included. In Saddle River that covers most homes. The borough's own guidance says "Most homes in Saddle River depend on their own private well for a drinking water supply," along with an individual underground septic system.

The public utility is small. The borough's utility page says its Water Utility serves about 147 customers. Its 2025 drinking water report, issued May 2026, says that water comes from Veolia's Haworth Water Treatment Plant. Sewer service is just as limited. The borough's 2010 Master Plan says Saddle River "relies primarily on septic systems," with sewered pockets tied into Allendale, Waldwick, Ho-Ho-Kus and Woodcliff Lake.

So in most Saddle River sales, the contract has to make well testing a condition of sale. The question is what the test measures and what tends to come back.

The panel changed in 2021, and older borough guidance still lists the old one

NJDEP announced that PFOA, PFOS and PFNA would become required PWTA tests starting December 1, 2021. The state's current list also requires gross alpha, synthetic organic compounds and, in Bergen County, uranium.

The borough's "Maintain my septic system and well?" page reflects the earlier panel. Its list of contaminants for Bergen County includes mercury, which the state now requires only in nine southern and coastal counties, and it leaves out the PFAS compounds, gross alpha, uranium and SOCs.

A homeowner who tested years ago, or who checked only the borough page, may not know where the well stands on the parameters that now fail most often in Bergen County.

What Bergen County's results say about PFAS

NJDEP publishes county-level PWTA summaries built from sale and lease testing that runs from September 2002 through December 2024. In that Bergen County dataset:

• PFOA: 44.2% of 530 wells sampled exceeded New Jersey's 0.014 µg/L limit, and 44.9% exceeded the limit for at least one of the three PFAS compounds.
• Total coliform: found in 11.2% of 3,555 wells.
• Arsenic: 9.5% of 3,556 wells exceeded the 5 µg/L limit.
• PFOS: 5.3% of 530 wells exceeded its limit.
• Gross alpha: 1.9% of 944 wells exceeded its limit.
• Uranium: 0.2% of 864 wells exceeded its limit.

These figures need some care. PFAS testing only started in December 2021, so the 530-well PFAS sample is much smaller and newer than the coliform, arsenic and VOC samples, which go back to 2002. The percentages describe wells that were tested. They are not an estimate for every well in the county, and they are not specific to Saddle River. Even so, in the county's own data the newest required test is also the one most likely to come back high. Uranium, which Bergen sales must test for, rarely exceeded its limit.

The PFAS question has also come up in Saddle River directly. NorthJersey.com reported in May 2025 that Mayor Albert Kurpis advised borough residents to have their private wells tested for contaminants after a council member reported that his well tested positive for PFOS.

A failed result doesn't stop the sale, so it becomes a negotiation

NJDEP says the law "does not prohibit the sale of property if the water fails one or more drinking water standards." The Act doesn't require treatment either. Whether to install it, and who pays, is left to the buyer and seller. NJDEP also notes that in some cases mortgage companies or local health departments may require treatment.

So a high result gives one party an issue to negotiate and gives the other a deadline. NJDEP's private well treatment guidance lists different approaches depending on what failed:

• PFAS: granular activated carbon. Reverse osmosis and ion exchange resins can also reduce PFAS. NJDEP suggests checking NSF/ANSI certification and maintaining the unit as directed.
• Gross alpha: a result above 15 pCi/L calls for follow-up tests for uranium, radium-226 and -228, and radon before choosing treatment. Radium sources point to cation exchange, and uranium points to anion exchange or point-of-use reverse osmosis.
• Arsenic: whole-house two-tank adsorption or anion exchange, with single-tap options also available. NJDEP says whole-house systems are recommended more often and that treated water should be retested, including annually.
• Bacteria: find and remove the source, then disinfect with professional shock chlorination or continuous UV, and retest about two weeks after shock chlorination.

NJDEP doesn't publish installation costs for any of these systems. That leaves a gap that contractor quotes have to fill during the sale. Two state programs may help owners who meet their eligibility rules: the Spill Compensation Fund damage claims program and the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency's Potable Water Loan Program.

Fitting the test into the sale

The Act's rules on sampling decide how much time the test takes inside a contract period. Here is the sequence, in order:

1. The contract. Every sale contract for a covered property has to include a provision making the test a condition of sale.
2. The collector. Samples have to be collected by someone certified for PWTA sampling or by an authorized lab representative. pH samples have to be collected by an employee of a lab certified to test pH.
3. The tap. The sample has to be untreated water. If the house has any treatment system, the sample is drawn before the water goes through it.
4. The cost. NJDEP estimates the average test at $1,200 to $1,500. PFAS and VOC testing require a field blank, which can add cost if it has to be analyzed. The buyer and seller negotiate who pays.
5. The certification. Both parties receive and review the results and sign the certification before title can close.

Step three matters most in houses where a previous owner already installed filtration. Treated water at the kitchen sink says nothing about the untreated sample the Act requires. If a PFAS result comes back high late in the contract period, the sale is then waiting on a follow-up test, a treatment quote and a negotiation, all before a closing date that can't happen without the signed certification. A test done before listing puts the same information in front of the seller while there is still time to plan around it.

The septic system follows a different set of rules

The septic side of the sale works differently. New Jersey's septic rules set out the inspection protocol a septic inspector must follow for a transfer-of-property inspection to count as a Department-recognized method. NJDEP's guidance says systems are routinely inspected when a house is sold. Our research didn't find a Saddle River rule that requires a septic inspection at every residential sale, so property-specific questions go to the borough.

Septic rules matter more when a sale involves plans to expand the house. Under the state rules, an existing system can stay as it is only if it is compliant, isn't malfunctioning, and isn't facing an expansion or change of use that increases sewage volume. When the flow goes up, the owner has to show the system has enough capacity, through a prior approval or a septic designer's certification. Altering a system requires a permit from the administrative authority. Saddle River asks owners to contact its Health Office before installing, altering, repairing or abandoning a well or septic system. Septic plan reviews are coordinated with the borough's administrative authority at 201-934-0300. The borough also advises owners to keep septic plans, permits, inspection reports and pumping records.

Questions that come up during the sale

Does the 2024 federal PFAS rule apply to a private well? The EPA's 2024 limits, 4 parts per trillion each for PFOA and PFOS, set compliance duties for public water systems. A Saddle River well sale is tested against New Jersey's PWTA standards. In May 2026 the EPA proposed keeping the PFOA and PFOS limits and rescinding the federal limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the related mixture index. Those are proposals, not final rules.

Can the buyer order more tests than the state requires? Yes. NJDEP says anyone can test for additional contaminants and recommends using a certified lab. Only the listed parameters are required under the Act.

What if the borough also has well testing requirements? Both sets apply. Where they overlap, the stricter rule controls.

Does uranium testing apply here? Yes. Bergen is one of the counties where uranium testing is required at sale. In the county's PWTA data through December 2024, 0.2% of 864 sampled wells exceeded the uranium limit.

If you're planning a Saddle River sale or purchase, The Klipper Group can build the well and septic timeline into your contract terms from the first day, before the PFAS result can delay closing. Speak with Roi or our team for a custom market plan, or request a valuation or an exclusive property preview.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.