Tap Water Quality Report
Tap water quality in Chicago, Illinois
Tap water in Chicago, Illinois receives a grade of D (69/100) from TapWaterSafety.org. It's served by CHICAGO. The most significant water quality concerns are: Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline; Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline; Bromodichloromethane significantly above health guideline. Data sources: EPA SDWIS, EPA ECHO, EWG Tap Water Database.
What's in Chicago's tap water
Top water quality concerns identified by the EPA and Environmental Working Group across the utility serving Chicago.
Haloacetic acids (HAA9) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernHaloacetic acids (HAA9) detected at 19.1 ppb, 319x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernTotal trihalomethanes (TTHMs) detected at 25.7 ppb, 172x above the EWG health guideline of 0.15 ppb.
Bromodichloromethane significantly above health guideline
Moderate concernBromodichloromethane detected at 8.39 ppb, 140x above the EWG health guideline of 0.06 ppb.
EPA compliance record
Official U.S. EPA records for CHICAGO (system ID IL0316000) for the last 3 years. Checked 2026-10-07.
| Rule | Type | Since | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic Organic Chemicals | Missed testing or reporting | 01/01/2025 | Open |
| Interim and Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule | Missed testing or reporting | 04/01/2025 | Open |
| Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule | Missed testing or reporting | 07/01/2024 | Open |
| Lead and Copper Rule Revisions | Missed reporting | 07/02/2025 | Open |
Source: U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO), from the Safe Drinking Water Information System. See EPA's full report.
Recommended filters for Chicago
Filters matched to the specific contaminants in Chicago's water supply.
Carbon filter certified for VOCs (NSF/ANSI 53)
$180-$599Activated carbon is effective for disinfection byproducts. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 VOC reduction.
Disclosure: TapWaterSafety earns a commission from purchases made through these links. This does not influence our scoring methodology or filter selection.
All contaminants detected in Chicago's tap water
Every contaminant identified, compared side-by-side against US EPA legal limits, the EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184), WHO Guidelines, and California's Public Health Goal. Why we show multiple standards →
| Contaminant | Detected | EWG US health-based |
EPA US legal |
EU DWD Europe |
WHO global |
CA PHG strictest US |
Tested sample year |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) Disinfection byproduct |
19.1 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 319× over |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) Disinfection byproduct |
25.7 ppb | 0.15 | 80.0 | 100 | — | — | — | 172× over |
| Bromodichloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
8.39 ppb | 0.06 | — | — | — | — | — | 140× over |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Disinfection byproduct |
12.4 ppb | 0.1 | 60.0 | 60 | — | — | — | 124× over |
| Dibromochloromethane Disinfection byproduct |
5.01 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 50× over |
| Trichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
4.97 ppb | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | 50× over |
| Dichloroacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
6.49 ppb | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 32× over |
| Chloroform Disinfection byproduct |
12.3 ppb | 0.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 31× over |
| Dibromoacetic acid Disinfection byproduct |
0.896 ppb | 0.03 | — | — | — | — | — | 30× over |
| Radium, combined (-226 and -228) Radiological |
0.89 pCi/L | 0.05 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 18× over |
| Chromium (hexavalent) Heavy metal |
0.194 ppb | 0.02 | — | — | — | — | — | 9.7× over |
| Nitrate Inorganic |
0.297 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 2.1× over |
| Nitrate and nitrite Inorganic |
0.297 ppm | 0.14 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10 | — | 2.1× over |
| Barium Heavy metal |
19.7 ppb | 700.0 | 2000.0 | — | 1300 | 2000 | — | Below guideline |
| Molybdenum Other |
1.07 ppb | 40.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Vanadium Other |
0.238 ppb | 21.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Strontium Radiological |
0.115 ppb | 1500.0 | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| 4-Androstene-3,17-dione Other |
0.175 ppt | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
| Fluoride Inorganic |
0.66 ppm | — | 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | — | Below guideline |
| Testosterone Other |
0.025 ppt | — | — | — | — | — | — | Below guideline |
All values in the unit of the detected level. Red cells indicate the detected level exceeds that standard. Some contaminants have limits in some jurisdictions but not others (shown as —). The "Tested" column shows the year each contaminant sample was collected.
Sources: US EPA, EU Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184, WHO Guidelines, California OEHHA PHGs, EWG Tap Water Database.
Treatment plant contact info
For service issues, water quality concerns, or to request a Consumer Confidence Report from CHICAGO.
General Contact
Treatment Plant
ZIP codes served
Chicago's public water systems serve the following ZIP codes: