Water in Naperville, IL

Naperville Water Needs Improvement

Map of where Naperville provides water

Find Out How You Can Protect Your Family’s Health

Is Naperville water safe to drink? Not according to recent studies performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The tests showed the presence of a number of potentially harmful contaminants in the region’s water. Plus, the water also contains hardness minerals that can cause problems around the home.

Do you live in Naperville and want to protect your home and health? Keep reading to learn:

  • Where Naperville water comes from
  • The possible pollutants in your water
  • Steps you can take to keep these impurities out of your water
  • How Angel Water can help you get the clean water you deserve

Where Does Naperville, IL Water Come From?

Naperville gets its water from Lake Michigan. The water receives treatment at Chicago’s Jardine Water Purification Plant before being sent to Naperville. This treatment includes the chlorination and fluorination required by local and federal standards. However, it’s not enough to remove all contaminants from the water. Only advanced filtration techniques can do that.

Still, the Naperville water department does what it can to provide water for residents inside the city limits and multiple nearby subdivisions. According to the city’s website, Naperville’s water utility supplies about 13 million gallons of water per day. The city also maintains many underground wells for emergency use.

Naperville publishes a yearly water quality report to keep residents updated on what’s in their water. Their latest report ensures that the water did not violate any water quality standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Unfortunately, the SDWA standards are woefully outdated and not strict enough to protect residents’ health.

Does Naperville Have Hard Water?

Yes, the water in Naperville is hard. The water enters Naperville homes unsoftened from Lake Michigan. This water has an average hardness of 8 grains per gallon (gpg). For reference, experts consider any water with more than 7 gpg to be hard water.

For this reason, Naperville residents frequently deal with many frustrating symptoms of hard water in their homes. Here are just a few of the more costly problems:

We typically recommend water softeners to our Naperville customers to eliminate problems like these. Water softeners get to the root of these issues by removing the hardness minerals that cause them from the water. Many people in Naperville and throughout the Chicago region have benefited from this solution. Please see our section on water softeners below to learn more.

What’s in Naperville Drinking Water?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released an assessment that revealed Naperville, IL, has many contaminants in its drinking water. While none of these totals exceed the limits put in place by the EPA, we don’t feel these standards are as strict as they need to be to protect human health. So, instead, we suggest adhering to the much stricter limits set by the EWG.

Naperville has multiple contaminants that exceed the EWG’s health guidelines. Please see the chart to the right for a list of those pollutants and their totals. The chart shows data from the Naperville water utility, which was collected between 2013 and 2019.

CONTAMINANT TOTAL
EWG RECOMMENDED
Haloacetic Acids (HAA9) 27.9 ppb 0.06 ppb
Hexavalent Chromium 0.208 ppb 0.02 ppb
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) 34.2 ppb 0.15 ppb

Below we have included more information on these and other contaminants found in Naperville water.

Haloacetic Acids (HAA9)

The haloacetic acids form as a byproduct of chlorine disinfection.

This group of nine acids can cause several health issues, including cancer and problems during pregnancy. They are also genotoxic, which means they induce mutations and DNA damage when consumed at high enough levels.

The EWG reports on the totals for the haloacetic acids as a group and separately. Three of the nine acids also exceeded EWG guidelines. These include:

  • Dibromoacetic Acid – 16x the health guideline
  • Dichloroacetic Acid – 34x the health guideline
  • Trichloroacetic Acid – 67x the health guideline

Naperville also tested positive for monobromoacetic acid and monochloroacetic acid, but neither of these exceeded the EWG’s guidelines.

Hexavalent Chromium

Hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6, is a naturally occurring odorless and tasteless metallic element often found in rocks, plants and soil. However, industrial pollution also contributes to high levels of chromium in drinking water.

Chromium-6 is a toxic form of the mineral. High enough levels of chromium-6 have been known to:

  • Increase the risk of stomach cancer
  • Damage the liver and reproductive systems
  • Lower one’s bodyweight
  • Delay skeletal development

You may have heard of chromium-6 before since it achieved national fame as the dangerous pollutant in the film Erin Brockovich. Unfortunately, that film was based on a true story, and hexavalent chromium pollution continues to plague small towns like the one in that movie to this day.

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) is a group of four contaminants that form when chlorine and other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. Each of these chemicals can have harmful effects, including an increased risk of cancer and problems during pregnancy.

Recent tests reveal that Naperville water contains three of the four TTHMs, and all three exceed the EWG’s guidelines. The contaminants are:

  • Bromodichloromethane –165x the health guideline
  • Chloroform –48x the health guideline
  • Dibromochloromethane –50x the health guideline

Naperville did not test positive for the other TTHM, which is bromoform.

Other Contaminants Detected

Aside from the pollutants listed above, the EWG also reports the presence of these impurities in Naperville drinking water:

  • 4-Androstene-3,17-dione
  • Chlorate
  • Chromium (total)
  • Molybdenum
  • Strontium
  • Testosterone
  • Vanadium

While none of these contaminants exceed the EWG’s guidelines, even a small amount of pollution is a reason for concern. Many of them have been linked to serious health issues.

To learn more about these impurities, please visit the EWG’s Naperville page.

How Can Naperville Residents Protect Their Health?

Clearly, Naperville’s water isn’t nearly as clean as it could be. But you don’t have to settle for subpar water that could harm your health and damage your home!

Instead, take control of the quality of your drinking water. The following steps will help you find the tools you need to keep your water safe for your home and family.

Step 1: Get Your Water Tested

The first step to fighting back is to figure out what’s in your water.

“Wait,” you may say, “didn’t we just go over that in the section above?”

That section was a report about the overall Naperville water quality according to recent studies. However, the contaminants in your home’s water may or may not be the same as the ones in the report.

Test results can vary from home to home. Therefore, it’s crucial to know which pollutants are entering your home. Once you do, you can take the necessary steps to keep those impurities out.

We recommend getting your water tested by an EPA-certified testing facility. This trustworthy test will give you concrete data to act on. Water treatment experts like the team at Angel Water would be happy to help you understand these numbers and determine the best path forward.

Step 2: Consider Filtration Options Like Reverse Osmosis

You have a lot of quality tools available to you in your quest for clean water. Many water treatment devices promise to provide the clean water you deserve. The tough part is determining which one is best for your situation.

The result of your water test will go a long way in helping you decide. You will want to find a system certified to remove all the contaminants you’re dealing with.

One common solution for Naperville residents is to invest in an NSF/ANSI 58 certified reverse osmosis (RO) system. RO systems effectively remove a wide range of contaminants by filtering the water through a semipermeable membrane. The filtration process can eliminate many impurities often found in Naperville water, including:

  • Haloacetic acids
  • Hexavalent Chromium
  • Total Trihalomethanes
  • And more!

If you think reverse osmosis is your best option, make sure you choose an NSF/ANSI 58 certified system. RO systems with this certification have gone through extensive tests to ensure they deliver the results they promise.

Step 3: Invest in a Water Softener to Eliminate Hard Water

Your water test will also more than likely reveal you have hard water. If you’d like to get rid of this problem, then your best bet is an NSF/ANSI 44 certified water softener.

Water softeners eliminate hard water by exchanging the calcium and magnesium ions that cause it for sodium ions. The newly softened water is then sent throughout the home where it won’t cause any more of those pesky problems we mentioned above.

Once again, it’s crucial that you choose a water softener with NSF/ANSI 44 certification as this guarantees it will effectively soften the water. Beyond that, softeners with this certification can also remove some dangerous pollutants, such as barium and radium-226 and -228.

Step 4: Get Your Systems Installed the Right Way

Any water treatment equipment you purchase will only give you the benefits you desire if it’s installed correctly. Installation can be tricky, which is why we recommend hiring a licensed plumber to install it for you. Not only do we strongly recommend it, but Illinois law also requires it! It’s the best way to ensure the health and safety of your family for a long time.

Enjoy Cleaner Water in Naperville!

Hopefully, this guide has helped you make informed decisions about your drinking water. If you need assistance with any of these steps, our team at Angel Water can help. We provide EPA-certified water testing and licensed installation for a wide variety of water treatment products.

Please call us today at (847) 382-7800 or fill out the form below to 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 Naperville?

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.

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