Crest Hill Water System water quality
Crest Hill, IL · serves 20,223 people (6,658 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID IL1970250
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
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 limitPFOA above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 12.4 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lithium
- Above screening levelHighest result 34.8 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
- Below action level1.23 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 Dec 2025. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Jan 2024.
- 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 Crest Hill Water System'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 (815) 723-8671. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 7 entry points tested Jun 2023 to Dec 2023. "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 Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 12.4 ppt 3.1× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Rounds to the limit Limit 10 ppt | 11.1 ppt 1.1× the limit |
| 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) Rounds to the limit Limit 1 | 1.11 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 40.3 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 21.1 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 18.7 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 24.6 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 11.7 ppt |
Why "rounds to the limit"? the PFHxS average (11.1 ppt) and the Hazard Index (1.11) are slightly above the number on paper, but EPA compares results after rounding to the limit's precision (4.4 ppt rounds to 4), so they meet the limit as EPA applies it. Close enough to the limit to be worth watching.
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 99% of the Illinois systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 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 14 of 14 samples. Highest result 34.8 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: 1.23 ppb lead (Jul 2025 – Dec 2025). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 7.8 ppb (Dec 2021).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jul 2025 – Dec 2025 | 1.23 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Dec 2025 | 2.14 ppb |
| Jan 2025 – Jun 2025 | 0.81 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2024 – Dec 2024 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 | 1.46 ppb |
| Jul 2023 – Dec 2023 | 1.27 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 1.34 ppb |
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 2.38 ppb |
| Jan 2022 – Jun 2022 | 2.56 ppb |
| Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 | 7.8 ppb |
| Jan 2016 – Dec 2018 | 0 ppb |
| Jan 2013 – Dec 2015 | 0 ppb |
Copper 90th percentile: 1.69 ppm (Jun 2023), 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | The system did not complete a required study of how to keep lead and copper from dissolving out of pipes. EPA record: Lead and Copper Rule · OCCT/SOWT Study/Recommendation (limit TT ) Resolved |
3 unresolved monitoring or reporting violations: Public Notice, Consumer Confidence Rule.
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 | 49 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 14 ppb | 40 ppb |
| Cobalt | 1.1 ppb | 70 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.78 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 1.1 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
Where it serves
Crest Hill
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 60403
Nearby utilities
- Romeoville Water System Romeoville · 4 mi
- Joliet Water System Joliet · 4 mi
- Plainfield Water System Plainfield · 8 mi
- Illinois American Water – West Suburban Bolingbrook · 8 mi
- Naperville Water System Naperville · 12 mi
- Channahon Water System Channahon · 13 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is Crest Hill Water System water safe to drink?
Crest Hill Water System had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. 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 Crest Hill Water System water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Crest Hill Water System found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 12.4 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Crest Hill Water System water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Crest Hill Water System is 1.23 ppb, for the period ending Dec 2025. 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 IL1970250: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID IL1970250).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Crest Hill Water System at (815) 723-8671, 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.