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Federal water data

County water report

Kane County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Kane County, Illinois.

Water grade

A

Water score

70.1

State rank

#16

of 102

Health violations

5

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

55.2%

636 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

23

7,825 recent measurements

Live streamflow

52%

FOX RIVER AT MONTGOMERY, IL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Kane County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

A

Score: 70.1 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

5

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

55% impaired

636 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

52% of mean

FOX RIVER AT MONTGOMERY, IL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

23

7,825 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

A

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

70.1/100

Health violations

5

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

0.9

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Kane County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Kane County earns an A grade for drinking water quality, scoring 70.1 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 5 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

Watershed Conditions

EPA ATTAINS

Under the Clean Water Act §303(d), EPA ATTAINS tracks whether waterways meet quality standards for drinking, recreation, and aquatic life (reporting cycle: 2022). A substantial 55.2% of assessed waterways are impaired (351 of 636 water bodies) across Kane County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are phosphorus, total and total suspended solids (tss). Impairment does not mean tap water is unsafe — it measures ambient waterway conditions upstream of treatment, not finished drinking water.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T12:00:00.000-06:00) puts FOX RIVER at 879.0 cfs — well below its long-term average at 52% of mean — low-flow conditions worth noting for water-dependent ecosystems. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Kane County has moderate coverage with 23 active monitoring sites with 7,825 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and inorganics, minor, metals. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Kane County

Water Verdict

Kane County receives a good water quality assessment with a grade of A and a score of 70.1 out of 100. While the water supply is generally safe, occasional monitoring gaps or minor contaminant detections may occur.

Violation Context

Kane County has recorded 5 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 0.9 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water compliance data for Kane County shows a A grade. Kane County's drinking-water compliance score is 70.1 out of 100. Reviewing your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report provides the most accurate picture of detected contaminants and treatment status. An NSF-certified water filter can add an extra layer of safety for any household concerns. Phosphorus, Total is the leading impairment cause in Kane County's watershed. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the FOX RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Kane County has better water quality than the average county in Illinois. Its water score is 22.3 points higher than the state average, indicating stronger water system performance relative to neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Kane County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 2

    Total Suspended Solids (Tss)

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

  • 3

    Mercury

    Impairment cause per EPA Clean Water Act §303(d) assessment

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Kane County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Kane County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Kane County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Illinois

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

55.2%

351 of 636 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)

  • 3

    MERCURY

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Impairment is determined under the Clean Water Act §303(d): a water body is impaired when it fails to meet state-defined quality standards for designated uses (drinking, recreation, aquatic life). Assessment coverage varies by state; counties without assessed water bodies are not shown.

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

23

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

7.8K

7,825 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals
  • Organics, Pesticide

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

879cfs

May 14, 6:00 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

52%

Well below typical

Primary Streamgage

FOX RIVER AT MONTGOMERY, IL

USGS site
05551540
Drainage area
1,732 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,686 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

Estimate Your Water Costs

Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Kane County:C — Moderate

Some violations or watershed impairment detected.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Kane County, Illinois?
Kane County, Illinois has a drinking-water quality grade of A with a score of 70.1/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 5 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Kane County?
Kane County has 5 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How healthy are the watersheds in Kane County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 55.2% of Kane County's 636 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (351 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS), MERCURY. Impairment means the water body fails to meet state quality standards for at least one designated use — drinking water source, recreation, aquatic life, or fish consumption. Note: watershed impairment doesn't always translate to tap-water issues; treatment plants can remove most regulated contaminants.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Kane County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 7,825 measurements from 23 monitoring sites in Kane County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Organics, Pesticide. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Kane County right now?
Kane County's primary USGS streamgage on the FOX RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 879 cubic feet per second — 52% of the long-term mean of 1,685.61 cfs. This is well below typical — often a signal of drought stress on source water. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Kane County water compare to the Illinois average?
Kane County's SDWIS water quality score of 70.1/100 is higher than the Illinois state average of 47.8. The average water quality grade across Illinois is D, based on data from 102 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Kane County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Kane County has a water quality grade of A (70.1/100). This indicates good to excellent water quality with strong SDWIS compliance. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Does Kane County have clean drinking water?
Kane County has 5 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 70.1/100 and grade A, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Kane County rank for water quality in Illinois?
Kane County ranks #16 out of 102 counties in Illinois by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 70.1/100, it falls in the top third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Cook County

Illinois

A

70.8

Water score

Kendall County

Illinois

B

69.3

Water score

DuPage County

Illinois

A

71.3

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Watershed health and impaired-waterway data from the EPA ATTAINS Clean Water Act §303(d) assessments, state-reported and EPA-finalized.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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