Is Highwood Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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
MR	Monitoring	Unaddressed	2026-01-01
MR	Monitoring	Unaddressed	2026-01-01
MR	Monitoring	Unaddressed	2025-07-01
MR	Monitoring	Unaddressed	2025-07-01
MR	Monitoring	Unaddressed	2025-07-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2009-10-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2009-10-01
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2007-03-01 → 2007-03-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2007-03-01 → 2007-03-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2007-01-01 → 2007-03-31

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
Copper	851 µg/L 65% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 1100 µg/L	35/60	SYR4	2012–2018
Bromodichloromethane	15.52 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15.9 µg/L	22/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	30.83 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 31.7 µg/L	22/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	8.1425 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8.2 µg/L	22/22	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	52.185 µg/L 65% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 56.5 µg/L	22/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	32.175 µg/L 54% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 33.4 µg/L	22/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	8.7555 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 11 µg/L	22/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0760 mg/L 507% above the EPA limit of 0.0150 mg/L	19/19	LCR	2024
Bromoform	1.10457 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.751 µg/L	18/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	20.64 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 20.8 µg/L	17/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	4.75 µg/L 32% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 5.1 µg/L	15/60	SYR4	2012–2018
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.048 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.24 µg/L	13/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate	620 µg/L 6.2% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	12/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	22.65 µg/L 1.1% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 23 µg/L	8/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	883.4 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 896 µg/L	8/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	2.399 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.44 µg/L	3/22	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	1.8 µg/L 18% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Selenium	2 µg/L 4% of the EPA limit 50 µg/L	1/8	SYR4	2012–2019

89 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 TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumCombined Radium (-226 And -228)DichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPfbaPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: COREN, SCOTT
Phone: 847-432-1924
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Highwood

Is Highwood tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 18 contaminants in Highwood'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 Highwood's water?

EPA monitoring detected Copper, Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, Dibromochloromethane, TTHM, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Highwood serve?

Highwood reports serving 5,335 people in Illinois, per its EPA record.

Has Highwood had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 26 violations on file for Highwood, of which 0 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 5 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.