Is Rock Falls Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Whiteside

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

122

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	1984-06-01 → 1987-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1981-06-01 → 1984-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1981-06-01 → 1984-05-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	1981-06-01 → 1984-05-31

PFAS detected

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

Contaminant	Max	Detection rate	Period
Pfba	0.0110 µg/L	1/1	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
Copper	498.4 µg/L 38% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 1170 µg/L	45/47	SYR4	2014–2017
Lead	10.67 µg/L 71% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 13 µg/L	23/47	SYR4	2014–2017
Lead	0.0044 mg/L 29% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	19/19	LCR	2025
Nitrate	1400 µg/L 14% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	18/18	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromodichloromethane	19.175 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 19.5 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	47.405 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 47.6 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	10.135 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10.2 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	18.26 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 20.6 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	75.55 µg/L 94% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 76.2 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	30.855 µg/L 51% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L worst single sample: 34.3 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	10.605 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 10.8 µg/L	14/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	2.77 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.93 µg/L	11/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	2.474 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 2.59 µg/L	9/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Nitrate-Nitrite	335.5 µg/L 3.4% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 344 µg/L	6/6	SYR4	2012–2018
Barium	145.5 µg/L 7.3% of the EPA limit 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 150 µg/L	4/4	SYR4	2012–2018
Arsenic	10.915 µg/L 109% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 10 µg/L worst single sample: 12 µg/L	3/4	SYR4	2012–2018
Fluoride	870.8 µg/L 22% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 873 µg/L	3/4	SYR4	2012–2018
Monobromoacetic Acid	1.59 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 1.62 µg/L	3/14	SYR4	2012–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	0.8700 pCi/L 17% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L	1/2	SYR4	2015–2016

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 TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHfpo-DaHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonochloroacetic AcidNetfosaaNfdhaNmefosaaNitriteOxamylPFBSPfdaPfdoaPfeesaPfhpaPfhpsPfhxaPFHXSPfmbaPfmpaPFNAPFOAPFOSPfpeaPfpesPftaPftrdaPfunaPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneLithiumO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: BLACKERT, ROBBIN
Phone: 815-564-1366
Email: [email protected]

Frequently asked questions about Rock Falls

Is Rock Falls tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 20 contaminants in Rock Falls'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 Rock Falls's water?

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

How many people does Rock Falls serve?

Rock Falls reports serving 8,620 people in Illinois, per its EPA record.

Has Rock Falls had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 122 violations on file for Rock Falls, of which 13 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.