Public water system · IL0894830
ActiveSt Charles
At a glance
St Charles (PWSID IL0894830) is an active community water system in Kane County, Illinois. It reports serving 33,103 people through 12,690 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
33,103
Service connections
12,690
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does St Charles compare with other water systems in Kane County?
By EPA's size categories, St Charles is a large system (10,001 to 100,000 people). Kane County has 118 active public water systems, and St Charles is the 4th-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 6.7 times the county average of 4,933 people per system, and accounts for 5.7% of the 582,054 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 St Charles is about 4.9 times 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. 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 St Charles?
EPA lists St Charles 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. 34 of the 118 active systems in Kane County (29%) are also owned by a local government.
Does St Charles have drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between June 1977 and January 2026. By type: 5 monitoring and reporting, 3 contaminant level above the legal limit and 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (2 of them). EPA lists 5 as resolved, 3 as archived and 2 as unaddressed. 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2020-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | No | Resolved |
| 2016-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2002-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 1995-07-01 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Monthly (TCR) · code 22 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | Yes | Archived |
| 1995-07-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Repeat Minor (TCR) · code 26 | Total coliform bacteria (TCR)code 3100 | No | Archived |
| 1991-01-30 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Combined Radium (-226 and -228)code 4010 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1991-01-30 | Contaminant level above the legal limitMaximum Contaminant Level Violation, Average · code 02 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | Yes | Resolved |
| 1977-06-30 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Gross alpha (excluding radon and uranium)code 4000 | No | Archived |
All 10 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.
St Charles: frequently asked questions
Who runs St Charles?
St Charles (PWSID IL0894830) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IL state drinking water program.
How many people does St Charles serve?
St Charles reports serving 33,103 people through 12,690 service connections in Kane County, Illinois.
Where does St Charles 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 St Charles have any drinking water violations?
EPA's records list 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 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 St Charles' 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 10 violations for this system; 3 are health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the IL state drinking water program.
Where can I find St Charles' water quality report?
As a community water system, St Charles 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 Kane County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | Kane | 183,000 | Community | Surface water |
| Elgin | Kane | 114,797 | Community | Surface water |
| Carpentersville | Kane | 37,983 | Community | Groundwater |
| Montgomery | Kane | 28,956 | Community | Groundwater |
| Batavia | Kane | 26,098 | Community | Groundwater |
| South Elgin | Kane | 23,648 | 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, “St Charles, PWSID IL0894830, Illinois”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/illinois/st-charles-il0894830 (data as of October 1, 2026).