Princeton Water Department

Sources of Municipal Water

The sources of tap water (both from municipal systems and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and groundwater wells. As water travels over land surfaces or through soil layers, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive materials, and can pick up substances resulting from animal or human activities.

Princeton's water comes from groundwater located in the Sankoty aquifer, drawn from four wells situated near the water treatment facility. Potential contaminants in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants - viruses and bacteria from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants - salts and metals occurring naturally or resulting from urban runoff, industrial/domestic wastewater, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides - from various sources including agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential usage
• Organic chemical contaminants - synthetic and volatile organic compounds from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, urban runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants - naturally occurring or resulting from oil/gas production and mining operations

Important Information About Municipal Water

All tap water, including bottled water, may reasonably contain small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects is available by contacting the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

The EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems, while FDA regulations set similar limits for bottled water to provide equal public health protection. Some individuals may be more vulnerable to water contaminants than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly individuals, and infants may face heightened infection risks. These individuals should seek advice about water consumption from their healthcare providers.

Source Water Protection

Source water protection (SWP) is a proactive approach to safeguarding public water supplies and ensuring optimal water quality for public use. Combined with treatment methods, it creates a multi-barrier approach to providing safe water to Illinois residents.

The Illinois EPA has implemented a source water assessment program (SWAP) to assist with wellhead and watershed protection. We encourage our valued customers to stay informed about their water quality. If you're interested in learning more, please attend our regularly scheduled meetings held on the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:00 pm at Princeton City Hall.

For a copy of the source water assessment, please visit the Water Plant or call our water operator at 815-872-0811. To view updated assessment summaries including importance of source water, susceptibility determinations, and protection documentation, visit the Illinois EPA website at http://www.epa.state.il.us/cgi-bin/wp/swap-fact-sheets.pl.

The Princeton Community Water Supply draws from four wells in a confined aquifer. The Illinois EPA has determined that Princeton's source water is not susceptible to contamination based on monitoring at wells and distribution entry points, along with comprehensive hydrogeological data analysis.

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