PlainWater
States → Illinois

Community Water System · PWS IL1590050

Calhoun

Calhoun, Illinois 62419 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 172 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

172
People served
424
EPA violations
13
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 424 drinking-water violations at Calhoun, 3% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

424
Total EPA violations on record
3%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
172
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Calhoun

Calhoun is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 172 residents in Calhoun, Illinois (Richland County) through 80 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 424 total violations for this system , of which 13 (3%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 384 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2019.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is p-Dichlorobenzene, recorded in 18 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, 123 of 487 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (25.3%).

Calhoun's 424 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
172
Total Violations
424
Health-Based Violations
13
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
80
County
Richland
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
9
Monitoring Violations
384
Treatment Tech Violations
4

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 2004
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 18 2004
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 18 2004
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 18 2004
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 18 2004
Trichloroethylene MR 18 2004
Ethylbenzene MR 18 2004
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 18 2004
Xylenes, Total MR 18 2004
Carbon tetrachloride MR 18 2004
Styrene MR 18 2004
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 18 2004
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 18 2004
Tetrachloroethylene MR 18 2004
CHLOROBENZENE MR 18 2004
Toluene MR 18 2004
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 2004
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 18 2004
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 18 2004
Benzene MR 18 2004
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 1993
Coliform (TCR) MCL 9 1993
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2016
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2019
Lead and Copper Rule MR 4 2004
Chlorine MR 4 2019
Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 2015
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 Calhoun.

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 IL1590050 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 Calhoun 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
2019 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 8000
2019 Chlorine MR 4 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 0999
2016 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 7000
2015 Lead and Copper Rule TT 4 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 5000
2004 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2969
2004 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2977
2004 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2980
2004 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2981
2004 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2983
2004 Trichloroethylene MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2984
2004 Ethylbenzene MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2992
2004 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2380
2004 Xylenes, Total MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2955
2004 Carbon tetrachloride MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2982
2004 Styrene MR 18 SDWIS / IL1590050 / 2996

How Calhoun Compares

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

Metric Calhoun Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 424 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 13 10.3 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 25.3% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 172 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 Calhoun water safe to drink? ▼
Calhoun (PWS ID: IL1590050) has 424 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 172 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Calhoun serve? ▼
Calhoun serves 172 people in Calhoun, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 80 service connections.
What type of violations does Calhoun have? ▼
Calhoun has 424 total violations: 13 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 384 monitoring/reporting violations, and 4 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Calhoun water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Calhoun under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Calhoun use? ▼
Calhoun 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.