Twitter link 
Instagram link 
Youtube link 
Email link 
Water Quality Reports and Standards
The Village of Arlington Heights Water Utility is proud to provide high-quality drinking water that is clean and safe for you and your family to consume. In fact, the water supplied by the Village complies with all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards, including those for lead.
It is important to note that there is no adverse situation currently affecting the quality of our water supply. The Village simply wants water consumers to be informed as much as possible when it comes to your drinking water.
Beginning in 1985, the Village changed from a deep well ground water source to Lake Michigan surface water. The City of Evanston provides complete water treatment and filtration of all water supplied to Village of Arlington Heights municipal water customers. The Evanston plant adds fluoride and chlorine to the water in accordance with State and Federal guidelines. Additionally, the Evanston plant adds poly orthophosphate as a corrosion inhibitor to guard against lead and copper contamination of the drinking water supply. The Northwest Water Commission (NWC) receives water from the Evanston plant and distributes the water to the four NWC member communities, which includes Arlington Heights.
It is important to note that there is no adverse situation currently affecting the quality of our water supply. The Village simply wants water consumers to be informed as much as possible when it comes to your drinking water.
Beginning in 1985, the Village changed from a deep well ground water source to Lake Michigan surface water. The City of Evanston provides complete water treatment and filtration of all water supplied to Village of Arlington Heights municipal water customers. The Evanston plant adds fluoride and chlorine to the water in accordance with State and Federal guidelines. Additionally, the Evanston plant adds poly orthophosphate as a corrosion inhibitor to guard against lead and copper contamination of the drinking water supply. The Northwest Water Commission (NWC) receives water from the Evanston plant and distributes the water to the four NWC member communities, which includes Arlington Heights.
Water Requirements
Under IEPA requirements, Arlington Heights Public Works completed an inventory of all water services in the Village to determine properties that may have a water service line constructed of lead pipe. (Please note that there is currently no adverse situation affecting the quality of Arlington Heights’ water supply.) Once an inventory of lead service lines has been created, staff will maintain the inventory in the future and update as improvements are made or additional information is collected.
To determine if you have a lead service line in your home, a licensed plumber can test your line to inform you if it is made of lead or another material. Another method of knowing is scratching the pipe with a coin. If it is lead, the scratched area will turn bright silver.
To determine if you have a lead service line in your home, a licensed plumber can test your line to inform you if it is made of lead or another material. Another method of knowing is scratching the pipe with a coin. If it is lead, the scratched area will turn bright silver.
In January 2017, new requirements were established for the Department of Public Health to develop a program to identify lead hazards in schools statewide and to require their mitigation within a reasonable time frame. Schools that serve preschool through fifth-grade children and were built prior to 1987 must take samples from their drinking water sources and have them tested for lead. If the level of lead in any water sample is at or greater than the action level of 15.0 ppb, parents and guardians must be notified of the level and the associated risks.
Since the summer of 2016, Arlington Heights has implemented enhanced notifications to residents affected by water maintenance or replacement work, which could potentially disturb protective lining in pipes.
Residents affected by construction activity will receive a notice at their door describing the project and contact information for questions/concerns. Types of construction activities requiring notice include:
You can reduce your risk of exposure during times of construction projects in your neighborhood by adhering to a few simple practices such as the following:
Residents affected by construction activity will receive a notice at their door describing the project and contact information for questions/concerns. Types of construction activities requiring notice include:
- A water main replacement project within one (1) block of your location.
- The repair of a water main break within one (1) block of your location.
- The replacement of your water meter.
You can reduce your risk of exposure during times of construction projects in your neighborhood by adhering to a few simple practices such as the following:
- Using cold water for drinking, cooking and preparing baby formula. Lead dissolves more easily in hot or warm water, boiling water will not remove lead.
- Run your water for a few minutes to flush out lead after periods of non-use, such as first thing in the morning, after work and after a vacation.
- Purchase and install a water filter that is certified to remove "total lead."
- Have your water tested. Since you cannot see, taste or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is a good way of telling whether lead is present or not.
Water Quality Reports
The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act passed by Congress mandates that every public water supply in the United States prepare and distribute an annual report on water quality. This annual report to water consumers in Arlington Heights characterizes the quality of our drinking water. The format of this report is regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). USEPA requires certain mandatory language and data in this report. These informational items must be published every year in the Village’s Water Quality Report.
The Village of Arlington Heights sources its water from the Northwest Water Commission which purchases treated water from the City of Evanston. If you want to know more about PFAS and their presence in drinking water, please see this letter from the Village of Arlington Heights Superintendent of Utilities.
The City of Evanston also created the following page which summarizes PFAS sampling results HERE.
The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act passed by Congress mandates that every public water supply in the United States prepare and distribute an annual report on water quality. This annual report to water consumers in Arlington Heights characterizes the quality of our drinking water. The format of this report is regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). USEPA requires certain mandatory language and data in this report. These informational items must be published every year in the Village’s Water Quality Report.
The Village of Arlington Heights sources its water from the Northwest Water Commission which purchases treated water from the City of Evanston. If you want to know more about PFAS and their presence in drinking water, please see this letter from the Village of Arlington Heights Superintendent of Utilities.
The City of Evanston also created the following page which summarizes PFAS sampling results HERE.
Categories always sorted by seq (sub-categories sorted within each category)
Documents sorted by HEADER in Ascending Order within category
Documents sorted by HEADER in Ascending Order within category