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Federal water data

County water report

Peoria County Water Report

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

Water grade

B

Water score

68.2

State rank

#19

of 102

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

40.7%

641 water bodies assessed

Monitoring sites

9

2,969 recent measurements

Live streamflow

144%

ILLINOIS RIVER AT KINGSTON MINES, IL

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Peoria County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

B

Score: 68.2 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

41% impaired

641 bodies assessed

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

144% of mean

ILLINOIS RIVER AT KINGSTON MINES, IL

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

9

2,969 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

B

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

68.2/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

1.8

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Peoria County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Peoria County earns a B grade for drinking water quality, scoring 68.2 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

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 40.7% of assessed waterways are impaired (261 of 641 water bodies) across Peoria County's watersheds. The leading impairment causes are phosphorus, total and mercury. 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 2026-05-14T12:45:00.000-06:00) puts ILLINOIS RIVER at 23.5k cfs — flowing above its historical average at 144% of mean. 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. Peoria County has limited coverage with 9 active monitoring sites with 2,969 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include inorganics, minor, metals and organics, pesticide. 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 Peoria County

Water Verdict

Peoria County receives a fair water quality assessment with a grade of B and a score of 68.2 out of 100. The water supply meets baseline federal standards, but there may be periods of elevated contaminant levels or infrastructure concerns worth monitoring.

Violation Context

Peoria County has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 1.8 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is relatively low compared to many U.S. counties.

Consumer Guidance

Tap water in Peoria County scores well above average for drinking-water safety. Peoria County's drinking-water compliance score is 68.2 out of 100. With 3 recorded health violations, the water supply is generally reliable. The violation rate for Peoria County is 1.8 per 100,000 people served. Households with infants, pregnant individuals, or immunocompromised members may want to use an NSF 53-certified pitcher filter as a low-cost precaution. Phosphorus, Total is the leading impairment cause in Peoria County's watershed. There are 9 active water-quality monitoring sites in Peoria County. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the ILLINOIS RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Peoria County has better water quality than the average county in Illinois. Its water score is 20.4 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 Peoria County's water environment

Watershed Impairment Causes (EPA ATTAINS)

  • 1

    Phosphorus (excess nutrients)

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

  • 2

    Mercury

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

  • 3

    Total Suspended Solids (Tss)

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS · Reporting cycle 2022

Official EPA Resources for Peoria County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Peoria County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Peoria County

Consumer Confidence Reports (IL)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Illinois

Clean Water Act §303(d)

Watershed Health

Impaired Water Bodies

40.7%

261 of 641 assessed

Moderate concern

Top Impairment Causes

  • 1

    PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL

  • 2

    MERCURY

  • 3

    TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)

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

9

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

3.0K

2,969 total readings

Most Measured

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

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

23.5Kcfs

May 14, 6:45 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

144%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

ILLINOIS RIVER AT KINGSTON MINES, IL

USGS site
05568500
Drainage area
15,818 sq mi
Long-term mean
16.3K 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 Peoria 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 Peoria County, Illinois?
Peoria County, Illinois has a drinking-water quality grade of B with a score of 68.2/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Peoria County?
Peoria County has 3 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 Peoria County?
EPA ATTAINS assessments under Clean Water Act §303(d) indicate 40.7% of Peoria County's 641 assessed water bodies are classified as impaired (261 impaired). The top reported causes are PHOSPHORUS, TOTAL, MERCURY, TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS). 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 Peoria County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 2,969 measurements from 9 monitoring sites in Peoria County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Inorganics, Minor, Metals, Organics, Pesticide, Physical. 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 Peoria County right now?
Peoria County's primary USGS streamgage on the ILLINOIS RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 23,500 cubic feet per second — 144% of the long-term mean of 16,328.14 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Peoria County water compare to the Illinois average?
Peoria County's SDWIS water quality score of 68.2/100 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 Peoria County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Peoria County has a water quality grade of B (68.2/100). 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 Peoria County have clean drinking water?
Peoria County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 68.2/100 and grade B, 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 Peoria County rank for water quality in Illinois?
Peoria County ranks #19 out of 102 counties in Illinois by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 68.2/100, 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

Coles County

Illinois

B

68.4

Water score

Kendall County

Illinois

B

69.3

Water score

Franklin County

Illinois

B

67.1

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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