Is Prairie Grove, IL tap water safe?
The short answer
2 of the 4 utilities serving Prairie Grove have a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and Illinois’s records: Lakewood and IL American - Whispering Hills.
Crystal Lake, which serves the most people here, has 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.8 ppb, above the health goal. Health goals are stricter than legal limits and are not enforced.
The water from Crystal Lake is soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 1.6 to 91 mg/L (0.1 to 5.3 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 Prairie Grove’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Crystal Lake
Illinois · serves 40,661 people · about 2,100 in Prairie Grove
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.8 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: soft to moderately hard depending on the source, 1.6 to 91 mg/L (0.1 to 5.3 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
McHenry
Illinois · serves 22,335 people · about 1,100 in Prairie Grove
2 results above the health goal. The worst: Lead at 6.7 ppb, above the health goal. Hardness: very hard, typically 470 mg/L (27.5 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Lakewood
Illinois · serves 4,267 people · under 100 in Prairie Grove
1 result above the action level and 2 results above the health goal. The worst: Copper at 1.4 ppm, above the action level. Hardness: soft to very hard depending on the source, 18 to 540 mg/L (1.1 to 31.6 grains per gallon).
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
IL American - Whispering Hills
Illinois · serves 8,300 people · under 100 in Prairie Grove
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOA at 8.3 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. Hardness: very hard, typically 380 mg/L (22.2 grains per gallon).
1 health-based violation since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Crystal Lake’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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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: Lead, 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: Lead, Arsenic
Water testing near Prairie Grove
The 3 labs Illinois certifies closest to Prairie Grove, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
Pace Analytical Services, LLC - McHenry
McHenry, IL · about 4 miles
Certified for bacteria
McHenry County Health Department
Woodstock, IL · about 8 miles
Certified for bacteria
Lake County Environmental Laboratory
Libertyville, IL · about 19 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 Prairie Grove: 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 Prairie Grove
Other towns in McHenry County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Crystal Lake’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for LeadRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for lead, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water