Public water system · IL0971950
ActiveWinthrop Harbor
At a glance
Winthrop Harbor (PWSID IL0971950) is an active community water system in Lake County, Illinois. It reports serving 6,565 people through 2,172 service connections. Its primary water source is purchased surface water, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
6,565
Service connections
2,172
Primary source
SWP
Purchased surface water
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Winthrop Harbor compare with other water systems in Lake County?
By EPA's size categories, Winthrop Harbor is a medium system (3,301 to 10,000 people). Lake County has 266 active public water systems. Its population served is about 169% above the county average of 2,442 people per system, and accounts for 1% of the 649,474 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 Winthrop Harbor is roughly in line with 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. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own. 619 Illinois systems (16%) list purchased surface water as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Winthrop Harbor?
EPA lists Winthrop Harbor 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. 60 of the 266 active systems in Lake County (23%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Winthrop Harbor have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in January 2026. The violations listed here began between October 2023 and January 2026. By type: 6 monitoring and reporting and 6 public notice, recordkeeping or other. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Consumer Confidence Rule (3 of them). EPA lists 7 as resolved, 3 as unaddressed 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. Unaddressed means the violation is not resolved or archived and is not yet covered by formal enforcement. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Archived |
| 2026-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Archived |
| 2025-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2025-01-12 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-11 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-10-11 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherPublic Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation · code 75 | Public Noticecode 7500 | No | Resolved |
| 2024-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting · code 72 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Unaddressed |
| 2024-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingFollow-up Or Routine LCR Tap M/R · code 52 | Lead and Copper Rulecode 5000 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Haloacetic acids (HAA5)code 2456 | No | Resolved |
| 2023-10-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring and Reporting (DBP) · code 27 | Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)code 2950 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent 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.
Winthrop Harbor: frequently asked questions
Who runs Winthrop Harbor?
Winthrop Harbor (PWSID IL0971950) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the IL state drinking water program.
How many people does Winthrop Harbor serve?
Winthrop Harbor reports serving 6,565 people through 2,172 service connections in Lake County, Illinois.
Where does Winthrop Harbor get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as purchased surface water. Purchased surface water means the system buys surface water from another public water system rather than drawing its own.
Does Winthrop Harbor have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is 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 Winthrop Harbor'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. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is 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 Winthrop Harbor's water quality report?
As a community water system, Winthrop Harbor 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 Lake County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan | Lake | 87,149 | Community | Surface water |
| Vernon Hills - Lake Co Pw | Lake | 33,207 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Mundelein | Lake | 31,500 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Gurnee | Lake | 30,193 | Community | Purchased surface water |
| Highland Park | Lake | 30,176 | Community | Surface water |
| Round Lake Beach | Lake | 27,200 | 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, “Winthrop Harbor, PWSID IL0971950, Illinois”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/illinois/winthrop-harbor-il0971950 (data as of October 1, 2026).