Community Water System · PWS IL1770250
German Valley
German Valley, Illinois 61039 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 463 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.
- 463
- People served
- 52
- EPA violations
- 21
- Health-based
- Untested
- UCMR5 result
The verdict
EPA records 52 drinking-water violations at German Valley, 40% of them health-based - below the Illinois per-system average.
- 52
- Total EPA violations on record
- 40%
- Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
- 463
- People served by this system
- N/A
- PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)
Water Quality Snapshot: German Valley
German Valley is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 463 residents in German Valley, Illinois (Stephenson County) through 191 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 52 total violations for this system , of which 21 (40%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 10 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2021.
The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Barium, recorded in 21 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%).
German Valley's 52 violations sit below 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.
System Details
- System Type
- Community
- Owner Type
- Local
- Connections
- 191
- County
- Stephenson
- School/Daycare
- No
- MCL Violations
- 21
- Monitoring Violations
- 10
- Treatment Tech Violations
- 0
Violation History
Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.
| Contaminant | Category | Count | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barium | MCL | 21 | 2016 |
| Consumer Confidence Rule | Other | 6 | 2021 |
| Coliform (TCR) | MR | 5 | 1991 |
| Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 4 | 2017 |
| Public Notice | Other | 2 | 2016 |
| 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 German Valley.
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 IL1770250 on SDWISSource: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search
Illinois Drinking Water Authority
Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water is the primacy agency that licenses and inspects German Valley under EPA-delegated authority.
Open IL regulator portalSource: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Consumer Confidence Rule | Other | 6 | SDWIS / IL1770250 / 7000 |
| 2017 | Lead and Copper Rule | MR | 4 | SDWIS / IL1770250 / 5000 |
| 2016 | Barium | MCL | 21 | SDWIS / IL1770250 / 1010 |
| 2016 | Public Notice | Other | 2 | SDWIS / IL1770250 / 7500 |
| 1991 | Coliform (TCR) | MR | 5 | SDWIS / IL1770250 / 3100 |
| 1977 | Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U | MR | 1 | SDWIS / IL1770250 / 4000 |
How German Valley Compares
Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.
| Metric | German Valley | Illinois avg | Federal benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total violations | 52 | 69.4 | SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach |
| Health-based violations | 21 | 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 German Valley water safe to drink? ▼
How many people does German Valley serve? ▼
What type of violations does German Valley have? ▼
Has PFAS been detected in German Valley water? ▼
What water source does German Valley use? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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.