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Community Water System · PWS IL1450050

Cutler

Cutler, Illinois 62238 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 463 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

463
People served
143
EPA violations
101
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 143 drinking-water violations at Cutler, 71% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

143
Total EPA violations on record
71%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
463
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Cutler

Cutler is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 463 residents in Cutler, Illinois (Perry County) through 202 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 143 total violations for this system , of which 101 (71%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 19 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Combined Radium (-226 and -228), recorded in 98 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%).

Cutler's 143 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
463
Total Violations
143
Health-Based Violations
101
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
202
County
Perry
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
98
Monitoring Violations
19
Treatment Tech Violations
3

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 98 2018
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 14 2018
Public Notice Other 6 2018
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 2025
Coliform (TCR) MR 3 1995
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 3 2024
LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 2025
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 1977
Lead and Copper Rule MR 1 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 Cutler.

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 IL1450050 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 Cutler 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
2025 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 5 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 7000
2025 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS RPT 2 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 5200
2024 LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS TT 3 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 5200
2018 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MCL 98 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 4010
2018 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 14 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 4010
2018 Public Notice Other 6 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 7500
1995 Coliform (TCR) MR 3 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 3100
1994 Lead and Copper Rule MR 1 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 5000
1977 Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 1 SDWIS / IL1450050 / 4000

How Cutler Compares

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

Metric Cutler Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 143 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 101 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 463 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 Cutler water safe to drink?
Cutler (PWS ID: IL1450050) has 143 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 463 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Cutler serve?
Cutler serves 463 people in Cutler, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 202 service connections.
What type of violations does Cutler have?
Cutler has 143 total violations: 101 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 19 monitoring/reporting violations, and 3 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Cutler water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Cutler under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Cutler use?
Cutler 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.
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.