Is Elgin Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Surface water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Kane

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2000-07-01 → 2000-09-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	2000-01-01 → 2000-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1999-10-01 → 1999-12-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1999-07-01 → 1999-09-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1999-04-01 → 1999-06-30
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1999-01-01 → 1999-03-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1998-10-01 → 1998-12-31
TT	Health-based	Resolved	1998-07-01 → 1998-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2025-10-01 → 2025-10-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2025-10-01 → 2025-10-31

PFAS detected

PFAS are industrial “forever chemicals”. These are the EPA's latest nationwide test results (2023–2025).

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfhxa	0.0038 µg/L	2/6	2025
Pfpea	0.0041 µg/L	2/6	2025
Pfba	0.0076 µg/L	1/6	2025

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Bromodichloromethane	21 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 26.6 µg/L	245/245	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	56.48 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 94.14 µg/L	245/245	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	7.6985 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 9.99 µg/L	244/244	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	83.685 µg/L 105% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 80 µg/L worst single sample: 116.6 µg/L	244/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	44.365 µg/L 74% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 65.4 µg/L	244/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	22.79 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 35.8 µg/L	238/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	22.38 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 41.6 µg/L	237/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.429 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.25 µg/L	122/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	2.008 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.13 µg/L	93/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	21.845 µg/L 146% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 15 µg/L worst single sample: 62.8 µg/L	92/207	SYR4	2013–2019
Copper	220.75 µg/L 17% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 251 µg/L	50/207	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromoform	2.696 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.16 µg/L	43/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0530 mg/L 353% above the EPA limit of 0.0150 mg/L	33/33	LCR	2025
Nitrate	2250 µg/L 23% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	20/28	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	8.579 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8.66 µg/L	19/244	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	488.75 µg/L 24% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 554 µg/L	10/10	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	1108.5 µg/L 28% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1140 µg/L	10/10	SYR4	2012–2019
Lithium	19.3 µg/L No EPA limit set	6/8	UCMR-5	2025
Arsenic	1.269 µg/L 13% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 1.29 µg/L	4/10	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	1264.5 µg/L 13% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1290 µg/L	4/5	SYR4	2014–2016
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.7700 pCi/L 15% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/2	SYR4	2014
Dalapon	0.6850 µg/L 0.3% of the EPA limit 200 µg/L	1/10	SYR4	2012–2019

83 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane11Cl-PF3OUdS2,4,5-TP2,4-D4:2 Fts6:2 Fts8:2 Fts9Cl-PF3ONSAdonaAntimony, TotalAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: BERTRAM, NORA
Phone: 847-931-6744
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Elgin

Is Elgin tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 25 contaminants in Elgin's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Elgin's water?

EPA monitoring detected Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Elgin serve?

Elgin reports serving 114,797 people in Illinois, per its EPA record.

Has Elgin had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 41 violations on file for Elgin, of which 8 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.