PFAS & Contaminant-Specific Well Water Testing — Hunterdon County, NJ
The standard PWTA panel already includes three PFAS compounds — PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA — but that's the legal floor, not the full picture of what's now understood about "forever chemicals" in groundwater. If you want a wider PFAS screen, or you're testing for a specific concern (nearby land use, a known local plume, a contaminant your standard panel flagged as borderline), we can arrange targeted testing beyond the mandatory minimum. This is the add-on for homeowners who want more certainty than the legal requirement alone provides — not a replacement for standard PWTA testing, which remains mandatory for any sale or rental compliance regardless of what additional testing you choose.
Why go beyond the standard three PFAS compounds
PFAS chemistry covers thousands of related compounds, most of which were historically used in firefighting foam, industrial coatings, non-stick cookware treatments, and some agricultural products. New Jersey's standard PWTA panel covers the three compounds with the most established health data and enforceable drinking water limits — limits New Jersey adopted ahead of federal action. But an expanded panel can screen for additional PFAS compounds where there's a specific reason to look: proximity to a fire training site or airport, documented industrial history on or near the property, or known agricultural runoff patterns in the area. See our full PFAS deep-dive for more on where PFAS actually comes from and how it ends up in groundwater.
Other contaminant-specific add-ons we can arrange
- Expanded VOC screening beyond the standard 26-compound VOC list, useful if there's a known or suspected fuel, solvent, or industrial source nearby.
- Follow-up retesting after a treatment system is installed, to confirm it's actually resolving the specific issue it was installed for — skipping this step means installing a system and never actually confirming it works.
- Targeted testing tied to a documented local concern, such as a nearby spill, a known contamination plume, or a specific parameter that came back borderline on your standard panel and warrants a closer look.
- Radon-in-water testing, distinct from the gross alpha/uranium radiological parameters already in the standard panel — relevant if you have a specific reason to be concerned about radon specifically (note: this is a different pathway than the well-known radon-in-air issue some Hunterdon County towns, including Clinton, have a documented history with).
How to decide whether expanded testing makes sense for you
Not every well needs to go beyond the standard panel — for most Hunterdon County properties, the mandatory PWTA panel (including the three PFAS compounds and the Hunterdon-specific uranium requirement) is a genuinely thorough baseline. Expanded testing makes the most sense when you have an actual, specific reason to look further: a known nearby source, a result on your standard panel that came back close to a limit rather than clearly under it, or a personal health situation (pregnancy, an infant in the home, a private health concern) where more certainty is worth the modest additional cost.
Cost and turnaround for expanded testing
Expanded PFAS and contaminant-specific panels cost more than the standard mandatory panel, since they involve additional lab analysis beyond the PWTA baseline — we'll give you a specific quote once we know which additional parameters make sense for your situation, rather than a one-size-fits-all number that doesn't reflect what you're actually adding. Turnaround depends on the lab and the compounds requested, and can run longer for a broader PFAS screen, since expanded compound lists sometimes require a specialized lab queue. If you're pairing this with a standard PWTA test on a closing timeline, tell us upfront so both can be planned around your closing date.
Important distinction: testing and referral, not treatment
This is a testing and referral service — we connect you with certified lab analysis for these panels and help you understand what the results mean. We're not a treatment provider ourselves, and we don't install or service filtration or remediation systems. See Water Treatment Referral & Consultation for what comes after a result you want to act on, including how we help you find someone qualified for the specific issue your results point to.
Related reading
Have a specific concern about your well beyond the standard panel? Call (908) 493-5028 to talk through what testing actually makes sense for your situation.