Veolia’s Saddle River Water Utility reaches an estimated 2,000 people in the borough; the rest of the town draws from private wells on two-acre-plus lots. A private well has no utility behind it: no chlorination, no PFAS treatment and no annual report, so the homeowner is the water department. New Jersey recommends certified lab testing every year and requires it at the time of sale.
The well problems we see most in Saddle River are hardness that scales water heaters and glass shower doors, iron and manganese that stain fixtures and laundry, hydrogen sulfide odor, and acidic water that eats copper and leaves blue-green stains. Bacteria and PFAS show up less often but matter more, and both are treatable.