River Forest

The Village of River Forest is pleased to present our Annual Municipal Water Quality Report covering January 1 to December 31, 2016. This comprehensive report outlines the quality of water that River Forest provided throughout 2016, including details about water sources, content analysis, and compliance with standards set by regulatory agencies.

For the current year, as in previous years, your tap water has successfully met all EPA and State of Illinois municipal water health standards. If you have questions about this report or about the water quality in River Forest, please contact Mark Janopoulos, Superintendent of Operations, at (708) 366-8500.

The Village encourages residents to stay informed about their water quality. You're welcome to attend any regularly scheduled Village Board meetings. Visit the Village's website (www.vrf.us) for dates, times, and locations.

What might be in our water supply? Sources of municipal water (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over land surfaces or through ground layers, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals, sometimes radioactive materials, and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activity.

Potential contaminants in source water include:

• Microbial contaminants from sewage facilities, septic systems, agricultural operations, and wildlife
• Inorganic contaminants like salts and metals that occur naturally or come from urban runoff, wastewater discharges, oil/gas production, mining, or farming
• Pesticides and herbicides from various sources including agriculture, urban runoff, and residential usage
• Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics from industrial processes, petroleum production, gas stations, runoff, and septic systems
• Radioactive contaminants that can be naturally occurring or result from oil/gas production and mining

All water, including bottled varieties, can reasonably contain at least small amounts of certain contaminants. The presence of these substances doesn't necessarily indicate a health risk. For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, contact the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

To ensure tap water safety, the EPA establishes regulations limiting contaminant levels in public water systems. FDA regulations set similar limits for bottled water to provide equivalent 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 disorders, some elderly individuals, and infants may face increased risk from infections. These individuals should seek advice about municipal water from their healthcare providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate measures to reduce infection risks from Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available through the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Were any violations reported in 2016? No municipal water quality violations were recorded in River Forest during 2016.

If present, elevated lead levels can cause serious health complications, particularly for pregnant women and young children. Lead in tap water primarily comes from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.

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