This bill mandates the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to establish a maximum contaminant level for hexavalent chromium (chromium-VI) in drinking water, set at 10 parts per billion. The DEP is required to implement this standard within one year of the bill's effective date, with specific timelines for public water systems based on their size: two years for systems with 10,000 or more service connections, three years for those with 1,000 to 9,999 connections, and four years for systems with fewer than 1,000 connections.

Additionally, the bill allows the DEP to adopt a more stringent standard for hexavalent chromium if recommended by the Drinking Water Quality Institute. Importantly, the bill clarifies that it does not change the existing maximum contaminant level for total chromium in drinking water, which remains governed by current federal or state regulations, while specifically prohibiting hexavalent chromium from exceeding the established limit of 10 parts per billion.