Public water system · IL1590200

Active

Olney

At a glance

Olney (PWSID IL1590200) is an active community water system in Richland County, Illinois. It reports serving 8,877 people through 4,061 service connections. Its primary water source is surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2024.

Dataset updated October 2026 . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.

Population served

8,877

Service connections

4,061

Primary source

Surface water

System type

CWS

Community water system

System record

PWSIDIL1590200

System typeCommunity water system

Activity statusActive

Population served8,877

Service connections4,061

Primary water sourceSurface water

Owner typeLocal government

Primacy agencyIL state drinking water program

City servedOlney

StateIllinois

ZIP—

CountyRichland County

How does Olney compare with other water systems in Richland County?

By EPA's size categories, Olney is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Richland County has 9 active public water systems, and Olney is the largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 7.2 times the county average of 1,231 people per system, and accounts for 80% of the 11,075 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Illinois, the 3,872 active systems average 3,204 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Olney is about 32% above that figure.

What does “community water system” mean?

A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Illinois has 1,773 active community water systems, 46% of the state's 3,872 active systems. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs. 89 Illinois systems (2.3%) list surface water as their primary source.

Who owns and regulates Olney?

EPA lists Olney as owned by a local government. 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. 6 of the 9 active systems in Richland County (67%) are also owned by a local government.

Does Olney have drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2024. The violations listed here began between June 1977 and April 2024. By type: 3 monitoring and reporting, 1 required treatment not met and 1 contaminant level above the legal limit. The contaminants or rules involved are Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Carbon, total and Total coliform bacteria (TCR). EPA lists 3 as resolved and 2 as archived. 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. 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.

Began	Violation	Contaminant or rule	Health-based	Status
2024-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950	No	Resolved
2023-04-01	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27	Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456	No	Resolved
2007-10-01	Required treatment not metTreatment Technique Precursor Removal · code 46	Carbon, totalcode 2920	Yes	Resolved
1999-07-01	Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22	Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100	Yes	Archived
1977-06-30	Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03	Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000	No	Archived

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.

Olney: frequently asked questions

Who runs Olney?

Olney (PWSID IL1590200) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IL state drinking water program.

How many people does Olney serve?

Olney reports serving 8,877 people through 4,061 service connections in Richland County, Illinois.

Where does Olney get its water?

EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as surface water. Surface water means the system draws its water from rivers, lakes, streams or reservoirs.

Does Olney have any drinking water violations?

EPA's records list 5 violations for this system; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2024. 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 Olney'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; 2 are health-based, and the most recent began in April 2024. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IL state drinking water program.

Where can I find Olney's water quality report?

As a community water system, Olney must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.

Other water systems in Richland County

Water system	County	Population served	Type	Source
Noble	Richland	805	Community	Purchased surface water
West Liberty-Dundas Water District	Richland	563	Community	Purchased surface water
Parkersburg	Richland	356	Community	Purchased surface water
Claremont	Richland	190	Community	Groundwater
Calhoun	Richland	172	Community	Groundwater
Acorn Acres MHP	Richland	52	Community	Purchased surface water

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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, “Olney, PWSID IL1590200, Illinois”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/illinois/olney-il1590200 (data as of October 1, 2026).