Is German Valley Tap Water Safe? Quality Report

Water source: Ground water
Ownership: Local government
Counties served: Stephenson

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	Archived	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-04-01 → 2016-06-30
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-01-01 → 2016-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-01-01 → 2016-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-01-01 → 2016-03-31
MCL	Health-based	Archived	2016-01-01 → 2016-03-31

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 95th percentile of this system's samples — over 100% is worth reading, but is not by itself a violation. Where a single sample came in higher than that percentile, it is noted under the bar. Formal violations are listed separately.

Contaminant	Level vs EPA limit	Detection rate	Source	Period
Barium	3700 µg/L 185% of the EPA limit, at the 95th percentile of samples — 2000 µg/L worst single sample: 4100 µg/L	49/49	SYR4	2012–2018
Copper	210.5 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 1300 µg/L worst single sample: 230 µg/L	40/42	SYR4	2013–2019
Lead	0.0014 mg/L 9.3% of the EPA limit 0.0150 mg/L	19/19	LCR	2025
Lead	4.77 µg/L 32% of the EPA limit 15 µg/L worst single sample: 5.4 µg/L	19/42	SYR4	2013–2019
Combined Radium (-226 And -228)	3.2605 pCi/L 65% of the EPA limit 5 pCi/L worst single sample: 3.31 pCi/L	10/11	SYR4	2013–2019
Fluoride	949.4 µg/L 24% of the EPA limit 4000 µg/L worst single sample: 950 µg/L	5/5	SYR4	2012–2018
Nitrate	40 µg/L 0.4% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L	4/24	SYR4	2012–2019
Chloroform	8.085 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 8.75 µg/L	3/3	SYR4	2012–2017
TTHM	13.62 µg/L 17% of the EPA limit 80 µg/L worst single sample: 14.8 µg/L	3/3	SYR4	2012–2017
Arsenic	1.49 µg/L 15% of the EPA limit 10 µg/L worst single sample: 1.5 µg/L	2/7	SYR4	2012–2018
Bromodichloromethane	3.964 µg/L No EPA limit set worst single sample: 4.12 µg/L	2/3	SYR4	2012–2017
Nitrate-Nitrite	39.5 µg/L 0.4% of the EPA limit 10000 µg/L worst single sample: 40 µg/L	2/5	SYR4	2012–2018
Dibromochloromethane	1.93 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/3	SYR4	2012–2017
Dichloroacetic Acid	9.41 µg/L No EPA limit set	1/3	SYR4	2012–2017
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	9.41 µg/L 16% of the EPA limit 60 µg/L	1/3	SYR4	2012–2017

64 contaminants tested, none detected

1,1,1-Trichloroethane1,1,2-Trichloroethane1,1-Dichloroethylene1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE1,2-Dichloroethane1,2-Dichloropropane2,4,5-TP2,4-DAntimony, TotalAtrazineBhc-GammaBenzeneBenzo(A)PyreneBeryllium, TotalBromoformChlorobenzeneCyanideCadmiumCarbofuranCarbon TetrachlorideChlordaneChromiumDichloromethaneDalaponDi(2-ethylhexyl) AdipateDi(2-ethylhexyl) PhthalateDibromoacetic AcidDinosebDiquatEthylene DibromideEndothallEndrinEthylbenzeneGlyphosateHexachlorobenzeneHeptachlorHeptachlor EpoxideHexachlorocyclopentadieneLassoMercuryMethoxychlorMonobromoacetic AcidMonochloroacetic AcidNitriteOxamylPentachlorophenolPicloramSeleniumSimazineStyreneTetrachloroethyleneThallium, TotalTolueneTotal Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB)ToxapheneTrichloroacetic AcidTrichloroethyleneVinyl ChlorideXylenes, Totalcis-1,2-DichloroethyleneO-DichlorobenzeneP-Dichlorobenzenetrans-1,2-Dichloroethylene

Utility contact

Contact: PALS, KENNETH R.
Phone: 815-362-2980
Email: pals1@aeroinc.net

Frequently asked questions about German Valley

Is German Valley tap water safe to drink?

EPA monitoring detected 15 contaminants in German Valley'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 German Valley's water?

EPA monitoring detected Barium, Copper, Lead, Lead, Combined Radium (-226 And -228), and others. The full list with the level and data source for each is above.

How many people does German Valley serve?

German Valley reports serving 463 people in Illinois, per its EPA record.

Has German Valley had any water quality violations?

The EPA has 39 violations on file for German Valley, of which 21 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.