Is Peoria, IL tap water safe?
Supplied by Illinois American Water – Peoria · serves 137,575 people (55,032 connections) · Surface water · EPA ID IL1435030
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of Peoria gets its water from Illinois American Water – Peoria. Parts of the city are served by a smaller system: Pleasant Valley Public Water District (3,783 people). Your water bill names your system.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOS 4.1 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 20.8 ppb. EPA uses 10 ppb to decide what to study further. It is not a health limit, and there is no federal limit for lithium. About 1 in 4 systems tested were above it.
- Lead
- Near 2027 action level11 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Jun 2026. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read Illinois American Water – Peoria's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill, and you can also request it at (618) 874-2408. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 4 entry points tested Nov 2023 to Aug 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 4.1 ppt at the limit |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.0015 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 3.05 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 6.2 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 4.15 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 4.45 ppt |
What the utility says it is doing: In September 2026, Illinois American Water said it plans to invest $92 million through 2029 in PFAS treatment across several systems, including $60 million for the Peoria system, ahead of April 2029 federal requirements, according to WMBD.
Source: Illinois American Water issues statement regarding forever chemicals in untreated Peoria area water (news report), 2026-09-15. Collected by us on Nov 14, 2026, not from EPA's data. Ask the utility for the latest.
For context: the PFOS average is higher than at 98% of the Illinois systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 5 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Detected in 9 of 10 samples. Highest result 20.8 ppb. EPA's non-enforceable screening level is 10 ppb. Above screening level The screening level is how EPA decides what to study further, not a health limit. There is no federal limit for lithium and no filter is certified to remove it. About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 11 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Near 2027 action level
Highest since 2016: 21 ppb (Dec 2025).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 11 ppb |
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 21 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 13 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 16 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | 12 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Dec 2023 | 6 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 14 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2015 – Dec 2015 | 8 ppb |
| Jan 2014 – Dec 2014 | 8 ppb |
| Jul 2013 – Dec 2013 | 10 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Jun 2013 | 11 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.89 ppm (Dec 2004), action level 1,300 ppb.
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 10 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 0.6 ppb | – |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 2.08 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 6.2 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Chlorate | 460 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.41 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Vanadium | 1.7 ppb | 21 ppb |
Where it serves
Peoria
44 ZIP codes the system reported serving
61523, 61525, 61526, 61528, 61535, 61536, 61539, 61546, 61547, 61552, 61554, 61555, 61558, 61568, 61601, 61602, 61603, 61604, 61605, 61606, 61607, 61612, 61613, 61614, 61615, 61616, 61625, 61629, 61630, 61633, 61634, 61636, 61637, 61638, 61639, 61641, 61643, 61650, 61651, 61652, 61653, 61654, 61655, 61656
Nearby utilities
- Normal Water System Normal · 36 mi
- Bloomington Water System Bloomington · 39 mi
- Abingdon Water System Abingdon · 41 mi · PFAS above limit
- Galesburg Water System Galesburg · 42 mi · PFAS above limit
- Illinois American Water – Lincoln Lincoln · 43 mi · PFAS above limit
- Springfield Water System Springfield · 66 mi
Questions
Is Peoria tap water safe to drink?
Most of Peoria gets its water from Illinois American Water – Peoria. Illinois American Water – Peoria has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does Peoria water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Illinois American Water – Peoria found 5 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOS: PFOS 4.1 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Peoria water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Illinois American Water – Peoria is 11 ppb, for the period ending Jun 2026. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for IL1435030: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID IL1435030).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Illinois American Water – Peoria at (618) 874-2408, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.