Is Highland Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

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

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
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2010-01-01 → 2010-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-10-01 → 2009-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-10-01 → 2009-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-10-01 → 2009-12-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2009-10-01 → 2009-12-31

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfba	0.0072 µg/L	3/4	2024

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	11.045 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 16 µg/L	92/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	49.765 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 87 µg/L	92/92	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	63 µg/L 79% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 105 µg/L	92/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	57.2 µg/L 95% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 70 µg/L	85/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	32.55 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 39 µg/L	84/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	31 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 34 µg/L	81/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	2.22 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.661 µg/L	51/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Copper	251 µg/L 19% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 590 µg/L	50/50	SYR4	2014–2017
Lead	0.0017 mg/L 11% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	23/23	LCR	2025
Lead	12.5 µg/L 83% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 21 µg/L	18/50	SYR4	2014–2017
Nitrate	2100 µg/L 21% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	16/16	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	14.25 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 15.9 µg/L	12/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Barium	56.6 µg/L 2.8% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 58 µg/L	8/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Fluoride	1133 µg/L 28% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 1140 µg/L	8/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	1156 µg/L 12% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 1200 µg/L	3/3	SYR4	2012–2018
Simazine	0.4560 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 4 µg/L worst single sample: 0.4600 µg/L	3/21	SYR4	2012–2019
Monochloroacetic Acid	3.085 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 3.11 µg/L	2/92	SYR4	2012–2019
Arsenic	1.1 µg/L 11% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L	1/8	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.8140 pCi/L 16% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/1	SYR4	2014

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, TotalAsbestosAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDibromoacetic AcidDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: GILLESPIE, WALTER (JOE) J.
Phone: 618-654-6823
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Highland

Is Highland tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 20 contaminants in Highland'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 Highland's water?

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

How many people does Highland serve?

Highland reports serving 10,674 people in Illinois, per its EPA record.

Has Highland had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 47 violations on file for Highland, of which 24 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.