caption freeform

Home  Government  City Departments  Public Works  Water Testing Results

                                
                            

                                                                                

                                                    
                            

                                

                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                
                            
                                
Drinking Water Quality Reports


The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the federal law that protects public drinking water supplies throughout the nation. Under the SDWA, the US EPA sets standards for particular contaminants in drinking water. Water supply systems must test for these contaminants and, if necessary, the water is treated to reduce contaminants to the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) set for each contaminant. 

Each year water supply systems test these water quality parameters, at different intervals, established by the Illinois EPA and US EPA to protect public health. Along with every public water supply in the United States, the City of Highland Park publishes an annual report, the Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).  Read the current CCR here.

The annual CCR only details the detected results of water quality monitoring over the previous year.  Any contaminant that was not detected is not added to the CCR but is submitted to the Illinois EPA. All water quality monitoring results can be found on the IEPA's Drinking Water Watch website.  Any contaminant that the City of Highland Park tested for, and those results, can be found there.

Below is a list of contaminants that The City of Highland Park monitors for and the frequency at which it is done. To read previous CCRs please visit our archived CCRs here.

Continuously monitored (at multiple locations): 


    

  • Chlorine Residual on Finished Water – guard against microbial contamination between the plant and the consumer
    • 

  • Turbidity on Finished Water – measurement of clarity, a key measurement of treatment performance
    • 

  • ORP (common measurement for water quality) on Raw Water – detects any changes needed in the dosing of disinfectant
    • 




Tested Daily: 


    

  • Coliform on Raw Water – to see microbial contamination of water that will be treated
    • 

  • Coliform on Finished Water – to verify treated water bacteriological quality
    • 

  • pH & Temperature on Raw Water - to optimize treatment chemical dosing
    • 

  • Turbidity on Raw Water – performed every 4 hours to measure clarity of water that will be treated
    • 

  • pH on Finished Water – verifies water quality
    • 

  • Chlorine Residual and Turbidity on Finished Water – performed every 4 hours to verify water quality
    • 

  • Fluoride on Finished Water – Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Oral Health’s acceptable range is 0.60 – 0.80 ppm
    • 

  • Orthophosphate – corrosion control inhibitor, per Illinois EPA must maintain >0.40 ppm
    • 




Tested Monthly:


    

  • Revised Total Coliform Rule (rTCR) - 30 Coliform samples collected throughout the City’s water distribution system to test for microbial contamination, Chlorine Residual and Turbidity
    • 

  • Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Alkalinity on Raw Water – measurement of water quality of water that will be treated
    • 

  • TOC on Finished Water – verifies water quality
    • 




 Tested Quarterly:



 Tested Annually:


    

  • Chemical Contaminants Rule – over 65 contaminants in three contaminant groups, two groups listed below:
    • 

      

    • Inorganic Contaminants (IOC) – 1 Finished Water sample to test for metals and salts including Nitrate and Nitrite
      • 

    • Synthetic Organic Contaminants (SOC) – 1 Finished Water Sample to test for synthetic chemical byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, includes pesticides and herbicides
      • 

    



Tested Every 3 Years:


    

  • Chemical Contaminants Rule – over 65 contaminants in three contaminant groups, one group listed below:
    • 

      

    • Volatile Organic Contaminants (VOC) – 1 Finished Water Sample to test for volatile chemical byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production
      • 

    

  • Lead and Copper Rule - 30 Lead and Copper samples collected throughout the City’s water distribution system to verify optimal corrosion control treatment.  For more information on lead please visit our lead information page.
    • 



 Tested Every 9 Years:



Other Frequencies:


    

  • Unregulated Contaminant Rules (UCMR) – every 5 years, monitor for no more than 30 contaminants that may be present in drinking water but do not have health based standards set under the SWDA
    • 

  • Long Term Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) – 1 Raw Water sample a month for a period of 24 months starting in October 2016, testing for Cryptosporidium, E. coli, and turbidity
    • 



For More Information
For more information about the Drinking Water Quality Reports, you are encouraged to contact the Water Plant at waterplant@cityhpil.com or 847.433.4355.