Manganese Contamination

Manganese in Illinois Drinking Water

Ranked by max manganese detected (µg/L) · UCMR 4 data (2018–2020) · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

196

Cities Tested

Over SMCL

% Over SMCL

16.7 µg/L

State Avg

▼ 10% vs national

vs National

695

Health Violations

Analysis

Manganese in Illinois: what the data shows

Illinois has 196 cities with manganese data from the EPA's UCMR 4 program (2018–2020). Manganese exceeded the 50 µg/L EPA secondary MCL in 16 of those cities. The state average max detected level is 16.7 µg/L. Manganese occurs naturally in groundwater and surface water. Elevated levels are common in areas with iron-rich geology and in systems that draw from reservoirs with low dissolved oxygen. The secondary MCL of 50 µg/L is based on aesthetic concerns (taste, staining), but health-based guidelines suggest neurological effects at higher concentrations. Emerging research links chronic manganese exposure in drinking water to neurodevelopmental effects in children, including reduced IQ and behavioral issues. Oxidation filtration and water softeners are effective at removing manganese from household water.

Comparison

Cities exceeding 50 µg/L EPA Secondary MCL

Illinois

16 of 196 cities

← ▼ 10% below national rate (better)

National avg

18%

729 of 4068 cities

City Map

Manganese data across Illinois

Each dot is a city with UCMR 4 manganese testing data. Cities where manganese exceeds the 50 µg/L EPA secondary MCL are highlighted. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by manganese level in Illinois

Highest Manganese levels (µg/L)

All Cities

All Illinois cities ranked by manganese level

#	City	Level	Over SMCL?	Violations	Grade
1	Rockford	384.4 µg/L	Over SMCL	43	F
2	East Peoria	235.0 µg/L	Over SMCL	133	F
3	Sugar Grove	211.0 µg/L	Over SMCL	7	A-
4	South Elgin	155.0 µg/L	Over SMCL	28	C
5	Bethalto	148.0 µg/L	Over SMCL	0	A-
6	Dallas City	130.7 µg/L	Over SMCL	1	B+
7	Poplar Grove	103.9 µg/L	Over SMCL	8	C+
8	Joliet	99.5 µg/L	Over SMCL	131	F
9	Saint Charles	86.8 µg/L	Over SMCL	3	B+
10	Loves Park	83.5 µg/L	Over SMCL	35	B
11	Barrington	77.5 µg/L	Over SMCL	3	B+
12	Belvidere	69.0 µg/L	Over SMCL	8	A-
13	Sauk	60.0 µg/L	Over SMCL	5	D
14	Dixon	58.1 µg/L	Over SMCL	57	C
15	Plano	57.7 µg/L	Over SMCL	0	B+
16	Mchenry	56.7 µg/L	Over SMCL	57	F
17	Crest Hill	49.0 µg/L	No	12	F
18	Morton	45.8 µg/L	No	13	B-
19	Carlinville	38.0 µg/L	No	74	D
20	De Kalb	37.2 µg/L	No	7	B+
21	Wood River	35.4 µg/L	No	0	B+
22	Antioch	30.6 µg/L	No	6	C-
23	Robinson	30.3 µg/L	No	0	A-
24	Machesney Park	29.4 µg/L	No	4	B
25	Oak Forest	29.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
26	Woodstock	28.5 µg/L	No	3	B-
27	Murphysboro	28.3 µg/L	No	8	B
28	Algonquin	26.9 µg/L	No	6	A-
29	Canton	25.3 µg/L	No	7	B+
30	Frankfort	25.0 µg/L	No	7	B+
31	Collinsville	22.9 µg/L	No	12	C-
32	Lindenhurst	22.1 µg/L	No	0	B+
33	Lake In The Hills	21.7 µg/L	No	4	A-
34	Byron	21.1 µg/L	No	1	C+
35	Romeoville	21.1 µg/L	No	17	A-
36	Cary	20.1 µg/L	No	11	A-
37	Champaign	19.0 µg/L	No	0	A
38	Warrenville	19.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
39	Carbondale	17.4 µg/L	No	26	D
40	Pecatonica	17.2 µg/L	No	1	A-
41	East St Louis	17.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
42	Litchfield	16.9 µg/L	No	5	D+
43	Arlington Heights	16.0 µg/L	No	1	B-
44	Granite City	16.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
45	Washington	16.0 µg/L	No	5	C
46	Caseyville	15.5 µg/L	No	3	B+
47	Oswego	14.0 µg/L	No	24	A-
48	Warren	14.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
49	Beardstown	13.8 µg/L	No	1	A
50	Rantoul	13.1 µg/L	No	54	D
51	Nashville	13.0 µg/L	No	27	C-
52	Freeport	12.8 µg/L	No	19	B-
53	Chatham	12.4 µg/L	No	2	A
54	O Fallon	12.0 µg/L	No	17	A-
55	Shorewood	12.0 µg/L	No	4	A-
56	Lincoln	12.0 µg/L	No	8	F
57	Elgin	11.0 µg/L	No	9	C-
58	Streamwood	11.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
59	Lockport	11.0 µg/L	No	20	F
60	Glen Carbon	10.4 µg/L	No	0	B
61	Peoria	10.0 µg/L	No	5	D+
62	Lemont	9.3 µg/L	No	26	D
63	South Beloit	9.3 µg/L	No	3	A-
64	Mount Vernon	9.1 µg/L	No	2	B+
65	Marion	8.5 µg/L	No	29	D
66	West Frankfort	8.3 µg/L	No	6	B+
67	Plainfield	8.2 µg/L	No	23	B-
68	Sycamore	7.8 µg/L	No	31	A-
69	West Chicago	7.5 µg/L	No	22	A
70	Waterloo	7.4 µg/L	No	1	C
71	Sparta	7.0 µg/L	No	21	B-
72	Mt Vernon	6.9 µg/L	No	1	A
73	Edwardsville	6.8 µg/L	No	18	D+
74	Lake Zurich	6.7 µg/L	No	35	B+
75	Herrin	6.7 µg/L	No	0	C+
76	Polo	6.6 µg/L	No	2	A
77	Crystal Lake	6.6 µg/L	No	4	A-
78	Western Springs	6.2 µg/L	No	2	B
79	Rock Island	6.0 µg/L	No	5	B-
80	Chillicothe	5.8 µg/L	No	11	D+
81	Glenview	5.8 µg/L	No	3	B+
82	Morris	5.6 µg/L	No	74	F
83	Pontiac	5.5 µg/L	No	10	C
84	Pekin	4.4 µg/L	No	1	D+
85	Ottawa	4.3 µg/L	No	62	F
86	Dieterich	4.2 µg/L	No	7	F
87	Robbins	4.2 µg/L	No	7	C-
88	Elmhurst	3.7 µg/L	No	2	A-
89	Coal Valley	3.4 µg/L	No	12	F
90	Jerseyville	3.4 µg/L	No	6	A-
91	Aledo	3.3 µg/L	No	6	A+
92	Montgomery	3.2 µg/L	No	4	A-
93	Bellwood	3.2 µg/L	No	7	B+
94	Gurnee	3.1 µg/L	No	4	A
95	Carbon Cliff	3.0 µg/L	No	12	B+
96	East Moline	2.9 µg/L	No	18	D+
97	Springfield	2.9 µg/L	No	3	D
98	Minooka	2.9 µg/L	No	6	A-
99	Peru	2.9 µg/L	No	92	F
100	Prairie Du Rochr	2.8 µg/L	No	1	B-
101	Lansing	2.6 µg/L	No	2	B
102	Batavia	2.6 µg/L	No	33	B+
103	Glendale Heights	2.5 µg/L	No	1	A
104	Villa Park	2.4 µg/L	No	2	A
105	Harvey	2.2 µg/L	No	1	B
106	Yorkville	2.2 µg/L	No	83	C+
107	Coleta	2.1 µg/L	No	1	A-
108	Buffalo Grove	2.1 µg/L	No	1	A
109	Richton Park	2.1 µg/L	No	5	F
110	Fairfield	2.0 µg/L	No	16	D+
111	Bridgeview	2.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
112	Kewanee	1.9 µg/L	No	34	B
113	Galesburg	1.9 µg/L	No	1	B
114	Oak Brook	1.8 µg/L	No	8	D
115	Centralia	1.7 µg/L	No	2	B
116	Mattoon	1.7 µg/L	No	14	B-
117	Alton	1.7 µg/L	No	1	B
118	Carol Stream	1.7 µg/L	No	1	A-
119	Kankakee	1.6 µg/L	No	40	F
120	Skokie	1.6 µg/L	No	9	C-
121	Morton Grove	1.6 µg/L	No	2	B-
122	Hanover Park	1.5 µg/L	No	3	A
123	Rolling Meadows	1.5 µg/L	No	3	A
124	Alsip	1.5 µg/L	No	2	A-
125	Effingham	1.4 µg/L	No	2	A-
126	Wood Dale	1.4 µg/L	No	0	A-
127	Evergreen Park	1.3 µg/L	No	0	B+
128	Troy	1.3 µg/L	No	3	A-
129	Essex	1.2 µg/L	No	14	B-
130	Bolingbrook	1.2 µg/L	No	2	A
131	Mount Prospect	1.2 µg/L	No	1	B+
132	Grays Lake	1.1 µg/L	No	6	A
133	Carpentersville	1.1 µg/L	No	0	B+
134	Lombard	1.1 µg/L	No	1	A-
135	Northbrook	1.1 µg/L	No	55	D
136	Hazel Crest	1.1 µg/L	No	2	B
137	Schiller Park	1.1 µg/L	No	7	A-
138	Stickney	1.0 µg/L	No	1	B+
139	Barry	1.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
140	Bartlett	1.0 µg/L	No	49	B-
141	Huntley	1.0 µg/L	No	15	A
142	Norridge	1.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
143	Jacksonville	1.0 µg/L	No	28	B-
144	Palos Hills	0.9 µg/L	No	3	A
145	River Forest	0.9 µg/L	No	1	B+
146	Wauconda	0.8 µg/L	No	3	A
147	Lincolnwood	0.8 µg/L	No	1	B+
148	North Lake	0.8 µg/L	No	1	B+
149	Tuscola	0.8 µg/L	No	0	A
150	Blue Island	0.7 µg/L	No	19	C
151	Calumet City	0.7 µg/L	No	3	C-
152	Chicago Heights	0.7 µg/L	No	0	B+
153	North Riverside	0.7 µg/L	No	4	B+
154	Bloomington	0.7 µg/L	No	21	F
155	Round Lake Beach	0.7 µg/L	No	3	B+
156	Palos Heights	0.7 µg/L	No	1	A-
157	Forest Park	0.7 µg/L	No	2	A-
158	Worth	0.7 µg/L	No	3	A
159	Hoffman Estates	0.7 µg/L	No	7	A+
160	Vernon Hills	0.7 µg/L	No	4	B+
161	Lake Forest	0.6 µg/L	No	58	B-
162	Quincy	0.6 µg/L	No	3	B-
163	Godfrey	0.6 µg/L	No	22	C+
164	South Holland	0.6 µg/L	No	5	B-
165	Lyons	0.6 µg/L	No	7	A-
166	Waukegan	0.6 µg/L	No	5	B+
167	Macomb	0.6 µg/L	No	39	D
168	Berwyn	0.6 µg/L	No	3	A-
169	Franklin Park	0.6 µg/L	No	5	B
170	Summit	0.6 µg/L	No	1	B+
171	Elmwood Park	0.6 µg/L	No	3	B+
172	Oak Park	0.6 µg/L	No	2	A
173	Park Ridge	0.6 µg/L	No	1	B
174	Libertyville	0.5 µg/L	No	14	C
175	Chicago Ridge	0.5 µg/L	No	1	A-
176	Mundelein	0.5 µg/L	No	22	F
177	Justice	0.5 µg/L	No	0	A-
178	Round Lake	0.5 µg/L	No	3	A-
179	Maywood	0.5 µg/L	No	3	C+
180	Palatine	0.5 µg/L	No	2	B
181	Niles	0.5 µg/L	No	3	B
182	Oak Lawn	0.5 µg/L	No	2	B
183	River Grove	0.5 µg/L	No	3	A-
184	Roselle	0.5 µg/L	No	2	A-
185	Crestwood	0.5 µg/L	No	0	B
186	Burr Ridge	0.5 µg/L	No	0	A
187	Wheeling	0.4 µg/L	No	5	A+
188	Taylorville	0.4 µg/L	No	0	A-
189	Charleston	0.4 µg/L	No	10	C+
190	Cicero	0.4 µg/L	No	3	B
191	Hickory Hills	0.4 µg/L	No	1	A
192	Markham	0.4 µg/L	No	7	B
193	Evanston	0.4 µg/L	No	1	A+
194	Country Club Hills	0.4 µg/L	No	0	A-
195	Melrose Park	0.4 µg/L	No	6	C
196	Homewood	0.4 µg/L	No	2	C

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about manganese in Illinois

Is manganese in Illinois tap water harmful?

The EPA secondary MCL for manganese is 50 µg/L, set primarily for aesthetic reasons (taste, color, staining). 16 cities in Illinois exceed the secondary MCL. However, emerging research links chronic manganese exposure above 50–100 µg/L to neurodevelopmental effects in children, including reduced IQ.

How can I remove manganese from my drinking water?

Oxidation filtration (such as greensand or birm filters) is the most common and effective method for removing manganese from well water. Water softeners using ion exchange also work well. Standard carbon filters provide limited manganese removal. If your water has a metallic taste or brown/black discoloration, manganese may be the cause.

What causes high manganese in Illinois water?

Manganese occurs naturally in groundwater and surface water, particularly in areas with iron-rich geology. Low dissolved oxygen conditions (common in deep wells and reservoir bottom waters) increase manganese solubility. Industrial sources include mining, steel production, and battery manufacturing. Seasonal changes in reservoir water chemistry can cause manganese spikes.

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