Forever Chemicals
Say you are simply curious about your own Illinois neighborhood, the kind of curiosity that starts with a search and grows into wanting the real picture. That is a fair place to begin. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and its Bureau of Water oversee public drinking water across the state and administer the PFAS standards those systems answer to. The figures below come from public monitoring records, not from us, and they will not pronounce any one home fine or otherwise. Still, they are worth reviewing when evaluating an address, and they hand you the agency that keeps tabs on this statewide, which is often the office people were looking for in the first place.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Illinois for 29 PFAS compounds; 4 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 8% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Illinois address.
In Illinois, drinking water runs through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) and its Bureau of Water, which administers the standards public systems must meet. Illinois has been among the more active states on PFAS short of full enforceable drinking-water limits, issuing health-based guidance and notification levels through the agency to flag PFAS where it is found. Residents on public systems are ultimately covered by the federal limits the agency administers under the April 2024 rule, with the state's guidance layered on top. The agency tends to function as both administrator of the federal rule and an early-warning voice on PFAS.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Illinoisserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
51
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
4
Systems with any PFAS detected
8% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
3
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
2
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
Red triangles are military installations the Department of Defense has flagged for PFAS from firefighting foam. Orange dots are industrial facilities that reported PFAS to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. If your future home sits near a cluster, that's a conversation worth having with the seller or landlord.
These are the Illinoisutilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| QUINCY | 2 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| BOND/MADISON WATER COMPANY | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| ELMHURST | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
| BELVIDERE | 1 | 0.01 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Illinois water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
For decades the military trained with AFFF firefighting foam loaded with PFAS. It soaked into soil and groundwater and, in many places, traveled miles. If you're house-hunting near any of these Illinois installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Chanute AFB
Air Force
Scott AFB
Air Force
Looking at a specific Illinoiscity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
Before the numbers below carry more weight than they should, learn their boundaries. The federal monitoring round (UCMR5) covered 29 PFAS compounds at public systems generally serving more than 3,300 people, across roughly 2021 to 2024. A detection from that span is a snapshot, not a live reading of today's tap, and the testing never reached private wells or many small rural systems. Across downstate Illinois that gap matters, and where the Illinois EPA offers guidance on private-well testing, that is the office to consult. The state agency has also issued its own PFAS health-based guidance, which is a useful supplement to the federal picture. Read the figures above as a guide to where monitoring took place, not a verdict on any single address. The tangle of program acronyms is its own minor sport, but the records underneath are ordinary public documents.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 51 public water systems in Illinois; 4 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Illinois has issued its own PFAS health-based guidance and notification levels through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, short of separate enforceable drinking-water limits. For enforceable protection, residents on public systems are covered by the April 2024 federal rule that the agency administers.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA), through its Bureau of Water, administers federal drinking-water standards for public systems, including EPA's April 2024 PFAS limits, and has layered on its own health-based guidance to flag PFAS where it is detected. It tends to act as both federal administrator and an early-warning voice.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) is the state's environmental agency, distinct from the federal EPA. Its Bureau of Water oversees public drinking-water systems statewide and administers the standards Illinois tap water is measured against.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Illinois address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report