Will County tap water: hardness, PFAS and lead

Q: Is tap water in Will County safe to drink?

1 of the 6 largest systems here have at least one health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021 (see each system below for status). Joliet's most recent lead 90th percentile was 6.5 ppb (2026), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

Q: How hard is the water in Will County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Will County have a median of about 17.1 grains per gallon (293 mg/L, very hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 17.1 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Q: Is there PFAS in Will County water?

1 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Q: Which water system serves my address in Will County?

Most homes are served by Joliet or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

Will County, Illinois has about 708,583 residents (Census 2024 estimate) and 52 community water systems in EPA records. The largest local system is Joliet, serving about 160,000 people from groundwater.

! 1 of 6 largest systems with health-based violationsPFAS detected at 1 of 6 sampled systemsHardness 17.1 gpg (low confidence)

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

How hard is Will County water?

Joliet Estimate: untreated local water, not your tap · Low confidence

17.1 gpg (293 mg/L), very hard

Will County: median of 2,740 results from 146 monitoring sites (streams and wells). Utilities may blend or treat water, so your tap can differ.

Source: Hard Water Map county data, samples through 2022

County estimates: Hard Water Map (hardwatermap.com), CC BY 4.0, derived from the USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal; file generated 2026-07-22. License

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Softener size at 17.1 gpg

For a 3-person home using 57 gallons per person per day and regenerating weekly, you'd remove about 20,469 grains between regenerations. Suggested size: 24,000 grain. This uses a low-confidence county estimate, so confirm with a test first.

Estimate only. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

Open the softener calculator with 17.1 gpg

Largest water systems in Will County

The 6 biggest of 52 community water systems on EPA records for this county. Service areas don't follow county lines; your water bill names your provider.

Joliet

IL1970450 · serves about 160,000 people · Groundwater

! 1 health-based violation✓ Lead below action level✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: 6.5 ppb (period starting 2026-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Il American-West Suburban

IL1974151 · serves about 73,978 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2022-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Romeoville

IL1970900 · serves about 50,458 people · Groundwater

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below action levelPFAS detected (3 types)

Lead 90th percentile: 8.2 ppb (period starting 2025-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

PFPeA: highest sample 21.2 ppt (5 of 15 samples); no federal limit
PFHxA: highest sample 11.8 ppt (5 of 15 samples); no federal limit
PFBA: highest sample 8.9 ppt (5 of 15 samples); no federal limit

EPA ECHO record

Plainfield

IL1970800 · serves about 50,000 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2026-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

New Lenox

IL1970700 · serves about 29,200 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2024-01-01). Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Il American-Homer Township

IL1970100 · serves about 24,543 people · Surface water

✓ No health-based violations✓ Lead below detection✓ No PFAS detected

Lead 90th percentile: <DL (below the lab detection/reporting limit; reported as 0) (period starting 2023-01-01) Older result. Action level: 15 ppb (drops to 10 ppb on Nov 1, 2027).

EPA ECHO record

Public-record figures, not a test of your tap. Not 100% accurate or guaranteed. Confirm with a water test, your utility or a qualified pro before you buy or act.

A PFAS detection is not a violation. Federal limits (4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS) apply to running annual averages, with compliance required by 2029. In May 2026 EPA proposed extending the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and removing other PFAS limits; not final as of 2026-10-21.

Test your own tap

These are public records for whole systems. Your home's pipes, fixtures and any private well can change what you drink. A certified lab test or a hardness test strip gives you your own numbers. Then use our PFAS and lead filter selector to see which certifications to look for.

Common questions about Will County water

Is tap water in Will County safe to drink?

1 of the 6 largest systems here have at least one health-based violation in EPA records since October 2021 (see each system below for status). Joliet's most recent lead 90th percentile was 6.5 ppb (2026), below the 15 ppb action level. Public records can't guarantee what comes out of your tap, especially with older plumbing, so a home test is the surest check.

How hard is the water in Will County?

There's no published utility figure in our data, but untreated local stream and well samples in Will County have a median of about 17.1 grains per gallon (293 mg/L, very hard). That's a low-confidence estimate of source water, not your tap, so test before you buy equipment. For a 3-person home at 17.1 gpg, our softener calculator suggests a 24,000 grain unit as a starting point.

Is there PFAS in Will County water?

1 of the 6 sampled systems listed here detected at least one PFAS in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. A detection isn't a violation: federal PFAS limits apply to running annual averages starting in 2029.

Which water system serves my address in Will County?

Most homes are served by Joliet or one of the other systems listed on this page, but service areas don't follow county lines. Your water bill names your provider, and its annual Consumer Confidence Report has the full test results.

More Illinois counties

Sources for this page

Water systems, violations since 2021-10-01 and lead results: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), 2026 Q3 release. Each system links to its EPA ECHO record.
PFAS sampling: EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2026 results).
Hardness: Hard Water Map county data (samples through 2022). We cite the figure and link the report; we don't reproduce it.
Population: U.S. Census Bureau county population estimates (2024).

Data as of October 21, 2026. Figures are copied from public records and combined with our own calculations; they can be out of date or wrong. Tapped Out isn't affiliated with any utility or the EPA. Written and reviewed by the Tapped Out team. How we calculate · All sources.