PlainWater
States → Illinois

Community Water System · PWS IL0850050

Apple River

Apple River, Illinois 61001 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 347 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

347
People served
218
EPA violations
23
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 218 drinking-water violations at Apple River, 11% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

218
Total EPA violations on record
11%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
347
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Apple River

Apple River is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 347 residents in Apple River, Illinois (Jo Daviess County) through 194 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 218 total violations for this system , of which 23 (11%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 156 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 23 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%).

Apple River's 218 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
347
Total Violations
218
Health-Based Violations
23
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
194
County
Jo Daviess
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
23
Monitoring Violations
156
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MCL 23 2006
Coliform (TCR) MR 18 2006
Nitrate MR 6 1993
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1994
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1994
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 4 1994
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 4 1994
Trichloroethylene MR 4 1994
Ethylbenzene MR 4 1994
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 4 1994
Cadmium MR 4 2002
CYANIDE MR 4 2002
Antimony, Total MR 4 2002
Beryllium, Total MR 4 2002
Thallium, Total MR 4 2002
Selenium MR 4 2002
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2023
Public Notice Other 4 2006
CHLOROBENZENE MR 4 1994
Chromium MR 4 2002
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 4 1994
Barium MR 4 2002
Carbon tetrachloride MR 4 1994
Mercury MR 4 2002
Fluoride MR 4 2002
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 4 1994
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 4 1994
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 4 1994
Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 4 2020
Tetrachloroethylene MR 4 1994

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 Apple River.

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 IL0850050 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 Apple River 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 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 7000
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule RPT 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 8000
2020 Chlorine MR 2 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 0999
2006 Coliform (TCR) MCL 23 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 3100
2006 Coliform (TCR) MR 18 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 3100
2006 Public Notice Other 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 7500
2002 Cadmium MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1015
2002 CYANIDE MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1024
2002 Antimony, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1074
2002 Beryllium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1075
2002 Thallium, Total MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1085
2002 Selenium MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1045
2002 Chromium MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1020
2002 Barium MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1010
2002 Mercury MR 4 SDWIS / IL0850050 / 1035

How Apple River Compares

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

Metric Apple River Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 218 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 23 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 347 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 Apple River water safe to drink? ▼
Apple River (PWS ID: IL0850050) has 218 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 347 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Apple River serve? ▼
Apple River serves 347 people in Apple River, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 194 service connections.
What type of violations does Apple River have? ▼
Apple River has 218 total violations: 23 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 156 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Apple River water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Apple River under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Apple River use? ▼
Apple River uses Groundwater 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.