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Community Water System · PWS IL1130500

Downs

Downs, Illinois 61736 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 1,201 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

1,201
People served
196
EPA violations
18
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 196 drinking-water violations at Downs, 9% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

196
Total EPA violations on record
9%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
1,201
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Downs

Downs is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 1,201 residents in Downs, Illinois (McLean County) through 464 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 196 total violations for this system , of which 18 (9%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 120 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 51 violations (MR). 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%).

Downs's 196 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
1,201
Total Violations
196
Health-Based Violations
18
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
464
County
McLean
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
9
Monitoring Violations
120
Treatment Tech Violations
9

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 51 2010
Chlorine MR 38 2023
Public Notice Other 24 2012
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 17 2023
Xylenes, Total MR 10 2008
Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 1993
Lead and Copper Rule TT 9 2009
Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 2020
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2020
TTHM MR 4 2021
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 2021
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1977

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 Downs.

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 IL1130500 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 Downs 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 Chlorine MR 38 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 0999
2023 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 17 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 7000
2021 TTHM MR 4 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 2950
2021 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MR 4 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 2456
2020 Lead and Copper Rule MR 8 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 5000
2020 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 8000
2012 Public Notice Other 24 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 7500
2010 Coliform (TCR) MR 51 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 3100
2009 Lead and Copper Rule TT 9 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 5000
2008 Xylenes, Total MR 10 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 2955
1993 Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 3100
1977 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / IL1130500 / 4000

How Downs Compares

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

Metric Downs Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 196 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 18 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 1,201 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 Downs water safe to drink? ▼
Downs (PWS ID: IL1130500) has 196 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 1,201 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Downs serve? ▼
Downs serves 1,201 people in Downs, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 464 service connections.
What type of violations does Downs have? ▼
Downs has 196 total violations: 18 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 120 monitoring/reporting violations, and 9 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Downs water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Downs under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Downs use? ▼
Downs 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.