The fixed rubric
What the Report Clarity Score actually measures
The score asks one practical question: how easy is it for a household to understand its public water information and decide what to do next? It is not a safety grade or a test of water from your faucet.
The 100-point score
| Factor | Points | What earns credit |
|---|---|---|
| Current public report | 25 | A recent Consumer Confidence Report is easy to find, dated and tied to the correct water system. |
| Source and treatment detail | 20 | Water sources, source mix and treatment methods are explained plainly. |
| Taste and scale context | 20 | Everyday factors such as hardness, disinfectant, taste and odor have useful context. |
| Household relevance | 20 | The report explains lead, plumbing and the limits of system-wide sampling for one home. |
| Updates and help | 15 | Dates, utility contacts and sensible next steps are easy to find. |
Every local report publishes its point breakdown. Missing information costs points; we do not fill gaps with estimates.
How points are awarded
Each factor is split into visible checks. A check earns full credit when the information is current, tied to the correct system and explained in context; partial credit means the detail exists but is incomplete or hard to use; no credit means it is missing or cannot be verified. The local report links to the evidence used.
| Factor | Auditable checks |
|---|---|
| Current public report | Correct system; current report year; direct official report link; publication date; searchable tables. |
| Source and treatment detail | Named sources; source mix; treatment methods; purchased-water context. |
| Taste and scale context | Hardness; disinfectant; secondary or aesthetic results; practical household meaning. |
| Household relevance | Lead/plumbing caveat; system-versus-faucet distinction; testing guidance; applicable comparison levels. |
| Updates and help | Last-checked date; notices or alerts; utility resources; clear next steps. |
Report pages show the score for each factor. When a factor loses points, the evidence or missing context is described in that report.
How to read the number
- 90–100: Very clear
- 75–89: Mostly clear
- 60–74: Important gaps
- Below 60: Hard to evaluate
A high contaminant result or reported violation does not lower this score. Those results appear separately, with the applicable comparison level and source, so information quality is never confused with water quality.
What appears outside the score
Each report shows what the utility reported, an everyday water profile and what system-wide data cannot tell you about a particular faucet. “Not detected,” “not reported” and “below a limit” are different findings, and we label them that way. RatingWater does not sample or test water.
Sources and freshness
We start with the latest available utility Consumer Confidence Report, then use primary sources such as the utility, EPA, NJDEP or local government for context. Every report identifies the water system, report year, source links and date checked. If a current detail is unavailable, we say so.
How we handle provider listings
Local refill providers can appear alongside a municipal tap report when they are useful to that location. Provider service details are attributed to the provider’s own published information and kept outside the Report Clarity Score. Purity Water is currently included as a Berkeley Heights refill option; RatingWater has not tested its water.