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Community Water System · PWS IL2030050

Benson

Benson, Illinois 61516 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 401 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

401
People served
130
EPA violations
1
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 130 drinking-water violations at Benson, 1% of them health-based - above the Illinois per-system average.

130
Total EPA violations on record
1%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
401
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Benson

Benson is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 401 residents in Benson, Illinois (Woodford County) through 215 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 130 total violations for this system , of which 1 (1%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 112 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 Xylenes, Total, recorded in 6 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%).

Benson's 130 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
401
Total Violations
130
Health-Based Violations
1
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
215
County
Woodford
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
0
Monitoring Violations
112
Treatment Tech Violations
1

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Xylenes, Total MR 6 1993
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 1993
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 1993
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 6 1993
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 6 1993
Carbon tetrachloride MR 6 1993
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 6 1993
Benzene MR 6 1993
Toluene MR 6 1993
Ethylbenzene MR 6 1993
Styrene MR 6 1993
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 6 1993
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 1993
Trichloroethylene MR 6 1993
CHLOROBENZENE MR 6 1993
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 1993
Tetrachloroethylene MR 6 1993
Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 2004
Public Notice Other 4 2006
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 2013
Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 2 2007
Coliform (TCR) MR 2 1997
Lead and Copper Rule TT 1 2025
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 Benson.

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 IL2030050 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 Benson 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 Lead and Copper Rule TT 1 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 5000
2013 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 4 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 7000
2007 Combined Radium (-226 and -228) MR 2 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 4010
2006 Public Notice Other 4 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 7500
2004 Lead and Copper Rule MR 5 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 5000
1997 Coliform (TCR) MR 2 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 3100
1993 Xylenes, Total MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2955
1993 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2969
1993 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2979
1993 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2980
1993 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2981
1993 Carbon tetrachloride MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2982
1993 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2983
1993 Benzene MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2990
1993 Toluene MR 6 SDWIS / IL2030050 / 2991

How Benson Compares

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

Metric Benson Illinois avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 130 69.4 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 1 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 401 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 Benson water safe to drink?
Benson (PWS ID: IL2030050) has 130 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 401 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Benson serve?
Benson serves 401 people in Benson, Illinois. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 215 service connections.
What type of violations does Benson have?
Benson has 130 total violations: 1 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 112 monitoring/reporting violations, and 1 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Benson water?
No PFAS testing data is available for Benson under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Benson use?
Benson 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.