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Community Water System · PWS IL0170100

Ashland

Ashland, Illinois 62612 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 1,333 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,333
People served
127
EPA violations
48
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 127 drinking-water violations at Ashland, 38% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

127
Total EPA violations on record
38%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,333
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Ashland

Ashland is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,333 residents in Ashland, Illinois (Cass County) through 600 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 127 total violations for this system , of which 48 (38%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 45 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2023.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Atrazine, recorded in 27 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Illinois, EPA tracks 5,117 public water systems serving 12,576,876 people, with 355,322 cumulative violations and 52,932 health-based violations on record. About 81% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 69.4 violations. Statewide, 199 of 487 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (40.9%).

Ashland's 127 violations sit above the Illinois average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
1,333
Total Violations
127
Health-Based Violations
48
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
600
County
Cass
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
45
Monitoring Violations
45
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Atrazine MCL 27 2004
Public Notice Other 20 2009
Coliform (TCR) MR 14 2006
TTHM MCL 12 2009
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 10 1993
Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 2006
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2023
Chlorine MR 4 2023
CARBON, TOTAL MR 4 2005
Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 1996
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 2023
Selenium MR 1 1979
Nitrate MR 1 1979
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1977
Arsenic MR 1 1979
Mercury MR 1 1979
Cadmium MR 1 1979
Chromium MR 1 1979
Fluoride MR 1 1979
Barium MR 1 1979

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Ashland.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID IL0170100 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Illinois Drinking Water Authority

Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects Ashland under EPA-delegated authority.

Open IL regulator portal

Source: Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2023 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 8000
2023 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 0999
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 2 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 7000
2009 Public Notice Other 20 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 7500
2009 TTHM MCL 12 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 2950
2006 Coliform (TCR) MR 14 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 3100
2006 Coliform (TCR) MCL 6 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 3100
2005 CARBON, TOTAL MR 4 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 2920
2004 Atrazine MCL 27 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 2050
1996 Surface Water Treatment Rule TT 3 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 0200
1993 Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 10 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 0200
1979 Selenium MR 1 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 1045
1979 Nitrate MR 1 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 1040
1979 Arsenic MR 1 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 1005
1979 Mercury MR 1 SDWIS / IL0170100 / 1035

How Ashland Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Ashland Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 127 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 48 10.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 40.9% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 1,333 2,458 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 5,117 regulated public water systems in Illinois.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ashland water safe to drink? ▼
Ashland (PWS ID: IL0170100) has 127 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,333 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Ashland serve? ▼
Ashland serves 1,333 people in Ashland, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 600 service connections.
What type of violations does Ashland have? ▼
Ashland has 127 total violations: 48 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 45 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Ashland water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Ashland under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Ashland use? ▼
Ashland uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.