Is Burlington, IL tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 3 utilities serving Burlington have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Illinois’s records: Pingree Grove and Hampshire.
Sycamore, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 20.3 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Sycamore is very hard, typically 289 mg/L (16.9 grains per gallon). How Illinois’s water compares.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Burlington’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Sycamore
Illinois · serves 18,500 people · about 400 in Burlington
1 result above the health goal and 1 result above EPA’s health benchmark. The worst: Lithium at 20.3 ppb, above EPA’s health benchmark. Hardness: very hard, typically 289 mg/L (16.9 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Pingree Grove
Illinois · serves 10,365 people · about 320 in Burlington
1 result above the health goal. The worst: Arsenic at 0.16 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 52 to 66 mg/L (3 to 3.9 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
- Open report
Hampshire
Illinois · serves 7,758 people · about 190 in Burlington
3 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 3.3 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 55 to 270 mg/L (3.2 to 15.8 grains per gallon).
2 health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Sycamore’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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Countertop reverse osmosis
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (AQ-SFRO2)
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Brondell Capella RC250 Reverse Osmosis System
Under-sink reverse osmosis
- WQA listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 58NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 9, 2026
Certified for: Arsenic
Water testing near Burlington
The 3 labs Illinois certifies closest to Burlington, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Suburban Laboratories, Inc.
Geneva, IL · about 17 miles
Certified for bacteria
McHenry County Health Department
Woodstock, IL · about 20 miles
Certified for bacteria
Pace Analytical Services, LLC - McHenry
McHenry, IL · about 24 miles
Certified for bacteria
Illinois Department of Public Health: Coliform bacteria and nitrate testing for private wells, with sample bottles from your local health department, or from the department's nearest regional office where there is none. You mail the sample to the lab, and results come back through the health department. Well Sampling for Coliform & Nitrate, Illinois Department of Public Health.
All 30 certified labs for IllinoisWhich ZIP codes are in Burlington: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: Illinois Department of Public Health, certified water microbiology laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Burlington
Other towns in Kane County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Sycamore’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- About LithiumWhat it does to health, where it comes from, and the certification claim that addresses it.About Lithium
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water