Home hazard report for 07021 — Essex Fells, NJ
ZIP 07021 is served by Essex Fells Water Dept: no health-based violations since 2016, latest lead result 2.4 ppb, PFAS not tested. Essex County is in EPA radon zone 2.
No health-based violations reported since 2016.
90th-percentile lead in the latest round (Jan 2022). Lead comes mostly from household plumbing and service lines, so individual homes can be higher.
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Predicted average indoor radon between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Test your home; many homes here exceed 4 pCi/L.
FEMA’s overall natural-hazard risk for this census tract, relative to the rest of the U.S.
The nearest active Superfund site is 3.3 miles away.
Active weather alerts
live from the National Weather ServiceChecking the National Weather Service…
Where ZIP 07021 is
Dashed: ZIP area · blue: utility service area · scroll or pinch to zoomDrinking water: Essex Fells Water Dept
Health-based violations
No health-based violations reported since 2016.
Full record for Essex Fells Water Dept →
Other systems overlapping this ZIP: Caldwell Water Dept.
Lead
90th-percentile lead per sampling round (90% of the homes sampled were at or below this level). Black line: EPA’s 15 ppb action level; under the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements the action level becomes 10 ppb from 2027.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5).
Radon in Essex County
EPA radon zone 2 — moderate potential. Predicted average indoor radon between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Test your home; many homes here exceed 4 pCi/L.
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas from soil and rock, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above and considering it from 2 pCi/L. A short-term test kit costs about $15–30. How radon zones work →
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the overall natural-hazard risk of this neighborhood (census tract) as Very Low, with very low social vulnerability and relatively low community resilience.
FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025): expected annual losses from each hazard combined with social vulnerability and community resilience, rated relative to all U.S. census tracts. Hazards not listed are not applicable here. It describes the area, not a single building; flood insurance maps (FEMA FIRMs) decide flood-insurance requirements.
Live conditions: river gauges and flood levels · tornado warnings · wildfire detections · earthquakes — our sister maps, updated from NOAA, USGS and NASA every few minutes.
Superfund sites nearby
| Site | Status | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Caldwell Trucking Co. Fairfield, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD048798953 | Active (final NPL) | 3.3 mi |
| Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation Fairfield, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD002164796 | Active (final NPL) | 3.5 mi |
| Montclair/West Orange Radium Site Montclair, West Orange, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD980785653 | Cleaned up & deleted | 3.6 mi |
| Sharkey Landfill Parsippany, Troy Hills, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD980505762 | Active (final NPL) | 3.9 mi |
| U.S. Radium Corp. Orange, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD980654172 | Active (final NPL) | 4.1 mi |
| Orange Valley Regional Ground Water Contamination West Orange/Orange, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD002148799 | Active (final NPL) | 4.3 mi |
| Glen Ridge Radium Site Glen Ridge, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD980785646 | Cleaned up & deleted | 4.3 mi |
| Riverside Industrial Park Newark, New Jersey · EPA ID NJSFN0204232 | Active (final NPL) | 7.5 mi |
| Pepe Field Boonton, New Jersey · EPA ID NJD980529598 | Cleaned up & deleted | 9.2 mi |
| Garfield Ground Water Contamination Garfield, New Jersey · EPA ID NJN000206317 | Active (final NPL) | 9.4 mi |
EPA Superfund National Priorities List (NPL): the country’s most serious known hazardous-waste sites, each with an EPA cleanup record (linked). Distance is measured from the ZIP center to the site’s reference point; being near a site does not by itself mean exposure — EPA site pages describe what was found and how it is being cleaned up.
What this is — and isn’t. These are records your water utility and state reported to the EPA, and the EPA’s radon map for your county. They describe the system and the area, not the water from your own tap or the air in your home. For that, read your utility’s annual Consumer Confidence Report and test: lead and radon tests are inexpensive.
Questions about 07021
Who supplies drinking water to ZIP 07021?
Essex Fells Water Dept (EPA ID NJ0706001), a surface water (rivers, lakes) system serving about 2,200 people.
Is there lead in Essex Fells, NJ tap water?
The utility’s latest 90th-percentile lead result (Jan 2022) was 2.4 ppb; EPA’s action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb from 2027. Lead mostly comes from service lines and home plumbing, so the only way to know your tap is to test it.
Does Essex Fells, NJ water have PFAS?
This system was not part of EPA’s 2023–2025 nationwide PFAS testing (UCMR 5 covers systems serving over 3,300 people and a sample of smaller ones).
Has the water system in 07021 had violations?
No health-based violations reported since 2016.
What natural hazards affect ZIP 07021?
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk here as Very Low; the highest-rated hazards are cold wave (relatively low), earthquake (relatively low), hail (relatively low).
Are there Superfund sites near 07021?
The nearest active Superfund site is 3.3 miles away. Sites within 10 miles: Caldwell Trucking Co. (3.3 mi, Active (final NPL)); Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation (3.5 mi, Active (final NPL)); Montclair/West Orange Radium Site (3.6 mi, Cleaned up & deleted).
Is radon a problem in Essex County?
Essex County is in EPA radon zone 2 (moderate potential). Predicted average indoor radon between 2 and 4 pCi/L. Test your home; many homes here exceed 4 pCi/L.