Public water system · IL3018762
ActiveCamp Merrill Benson
At a glance
Camp Merrill Benson (PWSID IL3018762) is an active transient non-community water system in Whiteside County, Illinois. It reports serving 53 people through 3 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as under public/private ownership. EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
53
Service connections
3
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
TNCWS
Transient non-community water system
System record
How does Camp Merrill Benson compare with other water systems in Whiteside County?
By EPA's size categories, Camp Merrill Benson is a very small system (500 people or fewer). Whiteside County has 59 active public water systems. Its population served is well below the county average of 696 people per system, and accounts for 0.1% of the 41,082 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Illinois, the 3,872 active systems average 3,204 people each. Nationally, the average active transient non-community water system reports serving 144 people, so Camp Merrill Benson is about 63% below that figure.
What does “transient non-community water system” mean?
A transient non-community water system serves places where people do not stay long, such as gas stations and campgrounds, and regularly serves at least 25 people a day for at least 60 days a year. Illinois has 1,703 active transient non-community water systems, 44% of the state's 3,872 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 2,808 Illinois systems (73%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Camp Merrill Benson?
EPA lists Camp Merrill Benson as under public/private ownership. The IL state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 4 of the 59 active systems in Whiteside County (6.8%) are also under public/private ownership.
Does Camp Merrill Benson have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2026. The violations listed here began between January 2017 and February 2026. By type: 4 monitoring and reporting and 1 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (4 of them). EPA lists 2 as archived, 2 as resolved and 1 as unaddressed. Archived means the violation was not marked resolved but is more than five years past the end of the noncompliance period, so it no longer counts toward current compliance status. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-21 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 2024-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Archived |
| 2018-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
All 5 violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Camp Merrill Benson: frequently asked questions
Who runs Camp Merrill Benson?
Camp Merrill Benson (PWSID IL3018762) is a transient non-community water system under public/private ownership. It is regulated by the IL state drinking water program.
How many people does Camp Merrill Benson serve?
Camp Merrill Benson reports serving 53 people through 3 service connections in Whiteside County, Illinois.
Where does Camp Merrill Benson get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Camp Merrill Benson have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2026. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Camp Merrill Benson's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; none is health-based, and the most recent began in February 2026. For current results, consult EPA ECHO, or the IL state drinking water program.
Where can I find Camp Merrill Benson's water quality report?
The annual Consumer Confidence Report requirement applies to community water systems. Camp Merrill Benson is a transient non-community water system, so it is not required to publish one; like every public water system, it must notify the people it serves about violations under EPA's public notification rules.
Other water systems in Whiteside County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il American-Sterling | Whiteside | 14,782 | Community | Groundwater |
| Rock Falls | Whiteside | 8,620 | Community | Groundwater |
| Morrison | Whiteside | 4,188 | Community | Groundwater |
| Fulton | Whiteside | 3,346 | Community | Groundwater |
| Prophetstown | Whiteside | 2,100 | Community | Groundwater |
| Erie | Whiteside | 1,479 | Community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Camp Merrill Benson, PWSID IL3018762, Illinois”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/illinois/camp-merrill-benson-il3018762 (data as of October 1, 2026).