Water in Schaumburg, IL

Schaumburg Water Needs Improvement

Map of Illinois indicating where Schaumburg water is delivered

Learn How to Keep Toxins Out of Your Drinking Water

Is Schaumburg water safe to drink? Unfortunately, it’s not nearly safe as it could be. Recent government studies reported on by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) reveal the presence of several potentially harmful pollutants. The good news is you have the power to keep them out of your glass.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know, including:

  • Where Schaumburg water comes from
  • The problematic toxins present in the region’s water
  • Steps you can take to protect your household’s health
  • How Angel Water helps protect Schaumburg residents
YouTube player

Where Does Schaumburg Water Come From?

Schaumburg gets its water from Lake Michigan via a series of pumping stations and reservoirs. The village started receiving its water this way when the Joint Action Water Agency (JAWA) created and started managing this water pipeline in 1988. The pipeline consists of a pumping station near O’Hare Airport, a water main that runs under the tollway from O’Hare to Barrington Road and reservoirs with connecting channels to seven different communities, including Schaumburg.

This water receives municipal treatment in Chicago so that it meets all Federal and State EPA regulations. While this treatment is better than nothing, it still fails to completely remove all impurities from the water. As we will see, drinking Schaumburg water comes with several health risks.

What is Schaumburg’s Water Hardness?

Just like most regions in Illinois, Schaumburg has hard water. Water is considered hard when it contains more than seven grains of calcium and magnesium minerals per gallon. The Lake Michigan water that Schaumburg receives contains an average of eight grains per gallon.

While it is not harmful to drink, hard water does come with a variety of unfortunate side effects, such as:

These are just a few of the many problems hard water can cause. If you’re experiencing any of them, then we recommend looking into getting a water softener. You can learn more about this solution below.

What is Schaumburg’s Water Quality?

As we mentioned above, Schaumburg water is officially within all the safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, these limits are woefully outdated and not nearly strict enough to guarantee people’s health and safety.

Fortunately, other watchdog organizations have picked up the EPA’s slack in watching out for our safety. The EWG is one of those groups. It publishes detailed test results for cities throughout the country along with its much stricter health and safety guidelines.

According to the EWG, multiple contaminants in Schaumburg water exceed safe levels and come with significant health risks. You can learn more about these toxins in the chart to the right and the sections below.

CONTAMINANT TOTAL
EWG RECOMMENDED
Chromium (Hexavalent) 0.211 ppb 0.02 ppb
Haloacetic Acids (HAA9) 18.9 ppb 0.1 ppb
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 8.64 ppb 0.1 ppb

Keep reading to learn more about these pollutants and the health risks associated with each.

Chromium (Hexavalent)

Hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6, is a carcinogen that typically gets into Lake Michigan water via industrial pollution. It can also develop naturally from mineral deposits in groundwater. Hexavalent chromium is best known as the contaminant featured in the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, which was based on a true story of industrial water pollution in a California town.

Drinking water contaminated by chromium-6 can increase your risk of contracting many diseases, including cancer, kidney damage, liver damage, allergic dermatitis and more.

Haloacetic Acids (HAA9)

HAA9 is a group of nine acids that typically form as a side effect of chlorine disinfection. The EWG includes test results for the HAA9 as a group and for each individual acid. Many of these acids exceeded EWG guidelines, including:

  • Dibromoacetic Acid
  • Dichloroacetic Acid
  • Trichloroacetic Acid

Significant amounts of monobromoacetic acid and monochloroacetic acid were also found in Schaumburg water. However, these acids did not surpass the organization’s safety limits.

Consuming large amounts of HAA9 increases your risk for many different cancers, including bladder, rectal and colon cancer.

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

The TTHMs is another group of four chemicals that can form when water is disinfected with chlorine. The EWG tracks test results for the group as a whole and each chemical separately. Three of the four chemicals went over the organization’s limits individually. They are:

  • Bromodichloromethane
  • Chloroform
  • Dibromochloromethane

Significant amounts of the other trihalomethane, bromoform, were not detected in the village of Schaumburg’s water.

Exposure to high amounts of trihalomethanes has been linked to several types of cancer, like bladder and colon cancer. These contaminants can also contribute to problems during pregnancy and congenital defects in infants.

Other Contaminants Detected

EPA studies have revealed small levels of several other toxins in the village’s drinking water. While none of these pollutants exceeded EPA or EWG health guidelines, they are still worth noting. After all, any amount of pollution represents a threat to our health.

Here are the other toxins in Schaumburg water:

  • Chromium (total)
  • Molybdenum
  • Quinoline
  • Strontium
  • Vanadium

You can learn more about each of these chemicals on the EWG’s Schaumburg page.

How Can Schaumburg Residents Protect Their Health?

The bad news is the water in Schaumburg is not nearly clean enough. The good news is you control what type of water you consume in your home! With the right water treatment equipment, the water in your tap will be as safe and healthy as possible.

Here are some practical steps you can take to clean up your water:

Step 1: Water Testing

Start by having your water tested to see which contaminants you’re dealing with. The village’s overall test results may not exactly match which toxins are getting into your glass. You need to know the precise chemical contents of your water so that you can invest in the right filtration equipment.

Step 2: Consider an NSF/ANSI 58 Certified Reverse Osmosis System

We can’t tell you which system you’ll need on this page because we don’t have the results of your water test yet. But we can tell you that your most likely best option is a reverse osmosis (RO) system. This device removes the widest variety of contaminants of any system on the market by sending the water through several layers of filtration.

If you decide to go this route, don’t settle for any old RO system. Instead, look for a brand that is NSF/ANSI 58 certifiedThis certification indicates that the system has gone through strict testing to prove it works. For this reason, systems with the NSF logo on them are the most trustworthy on the market.

Step 3: Get an NSF/ANSI 44 Certified Water Softener

One thing we can tell you with nearly 100% certainty is your water test will show that you have hard water. You probably already expected as much because of the scale marks you keep noticing on your shower walls, dishware and clothing. An NSF/ANSI 44 certified water softener is your best bet at getting rid of all those pesky symptoms for good!

Step 4: Have Your Equipment Professionally Installed and Serviced

No matter what system you wind up getting, a licensed plumber needs to install and service it for you. This expert service is the best way to protect yourself from your system not working as effectively as it should. It’s also essential for maintaining warranty coverage. So, be sure to hire a trustworthy company to do this for you.

Get Better Water in Schaumburg Today!

As you can see, you have the power to make the water in your tap cleaner and healthier. Angel Water is here to support you on your mission. We provide free water testing, NSF/ANSI certified systems and licensed installation and service in Schaumburg and throughout Chicagoland.

Please call us today at (847) 382-7800 or fill out the form below to talk with an expert or schedule a free consultation.

Please call us today at (847) 382-7800

or fill out the form below to talk with an expert or schedule a free consultation!

Get A Free Water Test!

Would You Like to Know More About Water Quality in Schaumburg?

If you want to understand the quality of the water your family depends on everyday, contact us today. One of our representatives is standing by to help you schedule your free water test. We’ll send one of our local water expert to test the water at your tap and explain common problems and solutions for your specific water composition so that you can rest easy, knowing that your family is drinking the healthiest water possible.

We love to help! Just ask your neighbors:
×Close
Take The Quiz & Protect Your Home
Assess your home’s unique water conditioning requirements like a PRO with our Water Wizard!
×Close
I would like to schedule service on my existing equipment.
I am interested in testing my water or I have questions about equipment.
Are you in Illinois or Florida?
Are you in Illinois or Florida?

Unfortunately, online booking is not available for our West Palm Beach location right now.

Please call us direct @ (847) 382-7800 to schedule.