Chicago tap water: lead, PFAS and violations

Supplied by City of Chicago Department of Water Management · EPA ID IL0316000 · 2,721,308 people

By Daryna Klochko · Data checked Oct 13, 2026
Short answer

Chicago tap water comes from Chicago DWM, which serves 2,721,308 people. In Jan – Jun 2026 sampling, the lead 90th percentile was 6.4 ppb, against the 15 ppb action level. EPA-required UCMR 5 testing found no PFAS at reporting levels. EPA lists no health-based violations in the last 10 years (45 monitoring, reporting or notice records).

Lead · 90th pct 6.4 ppb Action level 15 ppb · Jan – Jun 2026 PFAS · UCMR 5 None detected 29 PFAS tested · Jan 2024 – Oct 2024 Hardness — not reported Not in the utility’s report EPA violations · 10 yrs 45 records 0 health-based · 49 in all since 1993

These numbers describe the water system, not your tap. Lead and copper often come from pipes and fixtures inside a home, so your water can differ. Where a goal (MCLG) is 0, EPA’s goal for that contaminant is zero. Legal limits are set above it.

Is Chicago tap water safe to drink?

In the latest results, every contaminant we list with a single federal limit was below that limit or action level. Lead was 6.4 ppb at the 90th percentile, below the 15 ppb action level. EPA’s goal for lead is zero. EPA lists no health-based violations in the last 10 years (45 monitoring, reporting or notice records). See how US tap water compares nationally.

What’s in Chicago tap water

Latest results from Chicago DWM’s 2025 report and EPA records. One row per contaminant, with the type of limit in the limit column.

ContaminantResultLimitSampledSource
LeadComes mostly from home plumbing, not from the source water. 6.4 ppb 90th percentile reported to EPA; previous round (Jul – Dec 2025): 8.8 ppb 15 ppbAction level · goal 0Drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027 (Lead and Copper Rule Improvements). Jan – Jun 2026 EPA SDWIS record, IL0316000
PFOA and PFOS (PFAS)Two “forever chemicals” with a federal limit. Not detected 8 samples at 2 entry points; none at or above the reporting level (4 ppt) 4.0 ppt eachLegal limit (MCL) · goal 0Utilities must comply from 2029; EPA proposed 2031 in May 2026. Jan 2024 – Oct 2024 EPA UCMR 5 final occurrence data (Aug 2026 release)
Total trihalomethanesByproducts of disinfection. 26.4 ppb Highest locational running annual average; range 13.4–34.2 80 ppbLegal limit (MCL) 2025 Chicago Water Quality Report 2025
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Byproducts of disinfection. 13.8 ppb Highest locational running annual average; range 7.4–18.8 60 ppbLegal limit (MCL) 2025 Chicago Water Quality Report 2025
ChlorineDisinfectant kept in the pipes on purpose. 1 mg/L Average; range 0–1 4.0 mg/LDisinfectant limit (MRDL) · goal 4 2025 Chicago Water Quality Report 2025

ppb = parts per billion (µg/L), ppt = parts per trillion (ng/L). The bar shows the result against the limit (black line). Limits: EPA drinking water regulations, PFAS rule, Lead and Copper Rule Improvements. “Not detected” means below the lab’s reporting level, not zero.

EPA violations

EPA’s SDWIS database lists 49 violation records for Chicago DWM since 1993, 1 of them health-based. 1 has no return-to-compliance date on EPA’s record.

Jul 2025 · Reporting Lead and Copper Rule Revisions Back in compliance Mar 26, 2026
May 2025 · Monitoring and reporting Interim and Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Back in compliance Jul 9, 2025
Apr 2025 · Monitoring and reporting Interim and Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Back in compliance Jul 9, 2025
Jan 2025 · Monitoring and reporting Synthetic Organic Chemicals Dinoseb No return-to-compliance date
Jul 2024 · Monitoring and reporting · 4 records Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule Total organic carbon Back in compliance Nov 8, 2024
Dec 2021 · Monitoring and reporting Lead and Copper Rule Back in compliance Feb 1, 2022
Jul 2021 · Other (notice) Consumer Confidence Rule Back in compliance Aug 5, 2021
Jul 2020 · Other (notice) Consumer Confidence Rule Back in compliance Jul 6, 2020
Jan 2019 · Monitoring and reporting · 31 records Synthetic Organic Chemicals Back in compliance Jul 28, 2020
Jan 2019 · Monitoring and reporting · 2 records Other rule Back in compliance Jul 28, 2020
Nov 2016 · Monitoring and reporting Interim and Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Back in compliance Jan 10, 2017
Jan 1993 · Treatment technique Lead and Copper Rule Health-based Back in compliance Oct 7, 1993

Not listed: 3 older monitoring, reporting or notice records (2003–2016), none health-based.

Shown: health-based violations and everything from the last 10 years. Source: EPA SDWIS record, IL0316000, retrieved Oct 13, 2026.

How hard is Chicago water?

Chicago DWM’s 2025 water quality report does not list hardness. Hardness has no federal health limit. A test kit or a lab test measures it at your tap (see how to test water hardness).

What to do with these numbers

Only what the data above points to.

Lead · 6.4 ppb

Lead comes from home plumbing

EPA’s goal for lead is zero. Older faucets, lead solder and lead service lines can add lead at your tap. A filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead reduces it.

Certified to reduce lead. Lead is not necessarily in your water.

All filters compared →
Your tap, not the system

Test your own water

Chicago DWM’s numbers come from its own sampling sites. A certified lab test of your faucet shows lead and copper from your plumbing. How to test your own tap for lead, starting with your water utility.

All water tests compared →

Questions people ask

Does Chicago tap water have lead?
In Jan – Jun 2026 sampling, Chicago DWM’s lead 90th percentile was 6.4 ppb (90th percentile reported to EPA; previous round (Jul – Dec 2025): 8.8 ppb). The federal action level is 15 ppb, and EPA’s goal is zero. Lead usually enters water from home plumbing, so only a test of your own tap shows your level.
Does Chicago tap water have PFAS?
In EPA’s UCMR 5 testing (Jan 2024 – Oct 2024), none of 29 PFAS were found at or above reporting levels at 2 entry points of Chicago DWM’s system. The federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4.0 ppt each. Utilities must comply from 2029. On May 18, 2026 EPA proposed letting systems ask for two more years, to 2031, and dropping the 2024 limits for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFAS mixtures (the Hazard Index).
Does Chicago use chlorine or chloramine?
Chicago DWM disinfects with chlorine. The 2025 average was 1 mg/L; the federal limit (MRDL) is 4.0 mg/L.
Has Chicago DWM had EPA violations?
EPA’s SDWIS database lists 49 violation records for Chicago DWM since 1993, 1 of them health-based. 1 has no return-to-compliance date on EPA’s record. EPA lists no health-based violations in the last 10 years (45 monitoring, reporting or notice records).
Who supplies water in Chicago?
City of Chicago Department of Water Management (EPA ID IL0316000), a community water system serving 2,721,308 people through 526,883 connections. Main source: surface water.

Sources and nearby

Chicago Water Quality Report 2025chicago.gov EPA record for Chicago DWM (IL0316000)echo.epa.gov EPA UCMR 5 data (PFAS and lithium)epa.gov Illinois water quality by cityIL Milwaukee tap waterWIKalamazoo tap waterMIMadison tap waterWI How we researchMethod