Is Chatham Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: GWP
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Sangamon

Compliance record

Formal violations the EPA has on file for this supplier. A health-based violation means a contaminant limit or a required treatment was breached; the rest are monitoring or reporting failures — still violations, but not a measured health risk.

health-based violations

violations on file

still open

Violation	Type	Status	Period
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2005-07-01 → 2005-07-31
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2000-09-01 → 2000-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2000-09-01 → 2000-09-30
MCL	Health-based	Resolved	2000-09-01 → 2000-09-30
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31
MR	Monitoring	Resolved	2017-01-01 → 2017-12-31

Other contaminants detected

Each bar shows the measured level as a share of the EPA limit: green is well under, amber is close to it, red is over. For lead and copper the limit applies to exactly the 90th-percentile figure shown, so red there means a real exceedance. For everything else the limit applies to a running annual average while the figure is the single worst sample on record — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Copper	1100 µg/L 85% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L	391/391	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	50 µg/L 333% of the EPA limit, in the worst sample — 15 µg/L	83/391	SYR4	2013–2019
Bromodichloromethane	20.6 µg/L No EPA limit set	55/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	46 µg/L No EPA limit set	55/55	SYR4	2012–2019
TTHM	77 µg/L 96% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L	55/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromochloromethane	15.3 µg/L No EPA limit set	54/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	46.4 µg/L 77% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L	50/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Dichloroacetic Acid	30.4 µg/L No EPA limit set	46/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Bromoform	3.11 µg/L No EPA limit set	45/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Dibromoacetic Acid	4 µg/L No EPA limit set	45/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Trichloroacetic Acid	11.9 µg/L No EPA limit set	33/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Lead	0.0 mg/L 0% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	32/32	LCR	2027
Monochloroacetic Acid	10.1 µg/L No EPA limit set	8/55	SYR4	2012–2019
Monobromoacetic Acid	2.03 µg/L No EPA limit set	6/55	SYR4	2012–2019

30 contaminants tested, none detected

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Utility contact

Contact: PATTERSON, DUSTIN
Phone: 217-416-8388
Email: dpatterson@chathamil.gov

Frequently asked questions about Chatham

Is Chatham tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 14 contaminants in Chatham's water. A detection isn't the same as a violation — most levels are within federal limits. See each level and source above, and the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report for its official compliance status.

What contaminants were detected in Chatham's water?

EPA monitoring detected Copper, Lead, Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, TTHM, and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does Chatham serve?

Chatham reports serving 16,423 people in Illinois, per its EPA record.

Has Chatham had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 39 violations on file for Chatham, of which 7 are health-based (a contaminant limit or required treatment was breached) and 0 remain open. The rest are monitoring or reporting failures.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is official EPA drinking-water monitoring — the Lead & Copper Rule, the UCMR-5 nationwide testing program, and the EPA Six-Year Review — not our own testing. Each number is labelled with its source and period.