Veolia runs Toms River's water for about 125,000 people
Toms River water comes from Veolia, which serves about 125,000 people here, in South Toms River and in parts of Berkeley. Veolia's annual report should list the current aquifers, pH, hardness and any PFAS results, so ask for your copy.
Sources checked .
Veolia's public projects page gives the size of the system.
| Item | Reported |
|---|---|
| Area | Toms River Township, South Toms River, Holiday City and Silver Ridge Park in Berkeley |
| People served | About 125,000 |
| Production wells in service | 24 |
| Aquifer Storage Recovery wells | 2 |
| Main | 536 miles |
| Average demand | 10.5 MGD |
| Summer interconnections | NJ American Water; Manchester Township Water Utility |
| Current aquifers, pH, hardness, PFAS | Not listed here; we could not find Veolia's annual report |
Veolia local projects page, read November 3, 2026
What does the older state record say?
It describes history, and only that. The state health department and the federal ATSDR reviewed United Water Toms River data for 1996 to 1998. Styrene-acrylonitrile trimer, "a known contaminant from the Reich Farm Superfund site," was found in supply wells, and those wells were treated. Naturally occurring radioactivity was found in several wells. Those papers describe the system as it stood at that time, so please do not read them as today's results.
What should a customer do?
Get the current report and read it line by line. Our brief on these reports explains the columns, and our story on PFAS notices covers what to do if one arrives.
What if you are on a private well?
Test it, because it answers to a separate set of rules. The Pinelands Commission's 2021 list puts Toms River all or part in the State Pinelands Area and marks South Toms River as part Pinelands Area, part National Reserve. In a 1989 abstract, USGS called ground water near Ocean County very corrosive, worse inland than on the coast. Moving from a well to town water is one path; Veolia can say whether a main reaches you.
Is Toms River on sewer?
That depends on your street. The Toms River MUA is a named customer of the Ocean County Utilities Authority, and the Berkeley Township Sewerage Authority is too. Check your own house here.
The river itself has a record too. A USGS study ranked the Toms River with one branch of the Metedeconk as highest for base-flow total nitrogen, a range of 0.84 to 1.36 mg/L, in heavily developed land. That finding names no single source.
Who to ask
- Veolia: your annual report, its aquifer names, and whether a main reaches your address.
- Toms River MUA: whether your street is connected.
- Ocean County Health Department: private wells and septic.
Read next for Toms River
On a well
- A well must be tested before a sale can close
- Your well report has two kinds of limits, and they mean different things
- The aquifer under Ocean County is acidic, and copper plumbing feels it
- Blue-green marks in the tub usually mean copper is leaving the pipes
- Your pH reading picks between a calcite tank and a soda ash feed
- Radium comes with the aquifer, and a 48-hour test finds it
On town water
- Ocean County's water comes from many suppliers and several different aquifers
- When the utility's PFAS notice arrives, start with the limit it names
- Your water report is mostly one table, and it reads left to right
- The letter about your service line comes from a 2021 state law
- Go on town water and you still have a well to deal with
- Somewhere near the curb, the water line becomes yours
Septic & sewer
- On Ocean County sand, septic rules begin with distance from the well
- The board of health signs off on septic work, and owners report trouble
- Selling a house with a cesspool usually means the cesspool has to go
- Three years for a look, three to five for a pump, EPA says
- After a flood, leave the septic tank alone until the field drains
- Septic or sewer? The bill and the health department file can settle it
Raised houses
- Lifting a house moves the plumbing into the weather and the flood
- Those holes in the foundation wall are required, and must stay open
- A raised house puts its water lines out in the cold
- Where the water heater goes once the house goes up
- After the water drops, leave the switches and pilot lights alone
- Salt air works on the metal holding your pipes up
Lagoons & bay
Where this comes from
- Veolia local projects page - service area and system size.
- NJDOH consultation on Toms River water - 1996-1998 review.
- NJDOH summary on Toms River water - same review.
- Pinelands Area Municipalities, August 24, 2021 - Pinelands status.
- USGS WRI 87-4181 - corrosive ground water.
- USGS SIR 2012-5287 - nitrogen in the Toms River.
- Ocean County Utilities Authority home page - customer list (archived copy).