Strontium Contamination

Strontium in Illinois Drinking Water

Ranked by max strontium detected (µg/L) · UCMR 3 data (2013–2015) · Data from EPA SDWIS & UCMR

237

Cities Tested

Over HRL

% Over HRL

439.5 µg/L

State Avg

▲ 2% vs national

vs National

695

Health Violations

Analysis

Strontium in Illinois: what the data shows

Illinois has 237 cities with strontium data from the EPA's UCMR 3 program (2013–2015). Strontium was detected above the 1,500 µg/L EPA health reference level in 18 of those cities. The state average max detected level is 439.5 µg/L. Strontium occurs naturally in groundwater, particularly in areas with limestone and dolomite geology. It can also enter water from industrial waste and mining operations. There is no federal MCL for strontium, but the EPA established a health reference level (HRL) of 1,500 µg/L. Long-term exposure to strontium above the HRL may affect bone health, particularly in children, by substituting for calcium in developing bones. Reverse osmosis and ion exchange systems are effective at removing strontium from drinking water.

Comparison

Cities exceeding 1,500 µg/L EPA HRL (no MCL)

Illinois

18 of 237 cities

→ ▲ 2% above national rate (worse)

National avg

250 of 4371 cities

City Map

Strontium data across Illinois

Each dot is a city with UCMR 3 strontium testing data. Cities where strontium exceeds the 1,500 µg/L EPA health reference level are highlighted. Size reflects population served.

Worst Offenders

Top 10 cities by strontium level in Illinois

Highest Strontium levels (µg/L)

All Cities

All Illinois cities ranked by strontium level

#	City	Level	Over HRL?	Violations	Grade
1	Antioch	7548.4 µg/L	Over HRL	6	C-
2	Saint Charles	3317.8 µg/L	Over HRL	3	B+
3	Lake Bluff	3240.0 µg/L	Over HRL	18	C+
4	Lemont	3155.8 µg/L	Over HRL	26	D
5	Joliet	3100.0 µg/L	Over HRL	131	F
6	Bartlett	2653.3 µg/L	Over HRL	49	B-
7	Oswego	2638.6 µg/L	Over HRL	24	A-
8	North Aurora	2435.9 µg/L	Over HRL	27	A-
9	Lake Zurich	2335.8 µg/L	Over HRL	35	B+
10	Peotone	2196.6 µg/L	Over HRL	3	A-
11	Warrenville	2147.8 µg/L	Over HRL	0	B+
12	South Elgin	2069.8 µg/L	Over HRL	28	C
13	Algonquin	1847.7 µg/L	Over HRL	6	A-
14	Frankfort	1839.3 µg/L	Over HRL	7	B+
15	Sycamore	1700.0 µg/L	Over HRL	31	A-
16	Sauk	1697.2 µg/L	Over HRL	5	D
17	Wauconda	1665.6 µg/L	Over HRL	3	A
18	Batavia	1623.0 µg/L	Over HRL	33	B+
19	Morris	1486.4 µg/L	No	74	F
20	Lindenhurst	1466.6 µg/L	No	0	B+
21	Dwight	1450.0 µg/L	No	8	B+
22	Lockport	1370.9 µg/L	No	20	F
23	Lake In The Hills	1314.6 µg/L	No	4	A-
24	Cary	1285.9 µg/L	No	11	A-
25	De Kalb	1245.7 µg/L	No	7	B+
26	Western Springs	1237.6 µg/L	No	2	B
27	Ottawa	1172.5 µg/L	No	62	F
28	Huntley	1154.9 µg/L	No	15	A
29	Peru	1129.9 µg/L	No	92	F
30	Shorewood	1084.8 µg/L	No	4	A-
31	Yorkville	1082.0 µg/L	No	83	C+
32	Kankakee	1030.0 µg/L	No	40	F
33	Mchenry	1006.7 µg/L	No	57	F
34	Minooka	994.9 µg/L	No	6	A-
35	Kewanee	959.5 µg/L	No	34	B
36	Gifford	950.0 µg/L	No	0	B
37	St. Charles	900.0 µg/L	No	17	F
38	Hanover Park	885.3 µg/L	No	3	A
39	Barrington	870.7 µg/L	No	3	B+
40	Crest Hill	780.0 µg/L	No	12	F
41	Coleta	765.1 µg/L	No	1	A-
42	Montgomery	690.0 µg/L	No	4	A-
43	Romeoville	646.8 µg/L	No	17	A-
44	Richton Park	632.7 µg/L	No	5	F
45	Dekalb	600.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
46	Orion	547.3 µg/L	No	2	B-
47	Belvidere	465.9 µg/L	No	8	A-
48	Elgin	451.1 µg/L	No	9	C-
49	Aurora	440.0 µg/L	No	20	D
50	Peoria	412.1 µg/L	No	5	D+
51	Rochelle	400.0 µg/L	No	11	A
52	Rockford	396.0 µg/L	No	43	F
53	Atkinson	384.9 µg/L	No	3	B+
54	Sleepy Hollow	384.4 µg/L	No	4	A-
55	Dixon	380.0 µg/L	No	57	C
56	Park Forest	330.0 µg/L	No	2	A
57	Crystal Lake	320.0 µg/L	No	4	A-
58	Macomb	301.3 µg/L	No	39	D
59	East Peoria	290.4 µg/L	No	133	F
60	Good Hope	275.4 µg/L	No	4	A-
61	Streator	246.5 µg/L	No	14	A-
62	Farmer City	235.1 µg/L	No	1	B-
63	Morton	222.4 µg/L	No	13	B-
64	Pontiac	220.9 µg/L	No	10	C
65	Rantoul	211.8 µg/L	No	54	D
66	Loves Park	210.4 µg/L	No	35	B
67	Troy	202.6 µg/L	No	3	A-
68	Bethalto	200.3 µg/L	No	0	A-
69	Bellwood	194.2 µg/L	No	7	B+
70	Plano	190.9 µg/L	No	0	B+
71	Urbana	189.6 µg/L	No	0	C+
72	Woodstock	189.5 µg/L	No	3	B-
73	North Pekin	188.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
74	Champaign	183.0 µg/L	No	0	A
75	Chatham	178.2 µg/L	No	2	A
76	Quincy	178.0 µg/L	No	3	B-
77	Pekin	169.1 µg/L	No	1	D+
78	Caseyville	166.9 µg/L	No	3	B+
79	Freeport	162.0 µg/L	No	19	B-
80	East St Louis	156.8 µg/L	No	1	B+
81	Normal	155.9 µg/L	No	3	D+
82	Granite City	153.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
83	Alton	151.9 µg/L	No	1	B
84	Rolling Meadows	150.0 µg/L	No	3	A
85	Calumet City	149.5 µg/L	No	3	C-
86	Riverdale	146.1 µg/L	No	6	B+
87	Westmont	145.8 µg/L	No	6	B-
88	Homewood	142.3 µg/L	No	2	C
89	Winnetka	141.9 µg/L	No	0	A
90	Mundelein	141.3 µg/L	No	22	F
91	Round Lake Beach	141.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
92	Godfrey	140.7 µg/L	No	22	C+
93	Vernon Hills	140.0 µg/L	No	4	B+
94	River Grove	139.7 µg/L	No	3	A-
95	Des Plaines	138.8 µg/L	No	0	B+
96	Alsip	138.8 µg/L	No	2	A-
97	Geneva	138.3 µg/L	No	67	B-
98	Dolton	136.8 µg/L	No	2	C
99	Franklin Park	136.7 µg/L	No	5	B
100	Jerseyville	136.1 µg/L	No	6	A-
101	Glenview	136.0 µg/L	No	3	B+
102	Park Ridge	135.4 µg/L	No	1	B
103	Gurnee	135.4 µg/L	No	4	A
104	Robinson	135.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
105	Schaumburg	134.7 µg/L	No	17	B+
106	Oak Park	134.6 µg/L	No	2	A
107	Westhaven	134.2 µg/L	No	3	A+
108	Oak Brook	134.2 µg/L	No	8	D
109	Midlothian	134.0 µg/L	No	5	A-
110	Darien	133.3 µg/L	No	6	C+
111	Round Lake	133.3 µg/L	No	3	A-
112	Edwardsville	133.0 µg/L	No	18	D+
113	Wheeling	132.9 µg/L	No	5	A+
114	Hoffman Estates	132.9 µg/L	No	7	A+
115	Streamwood	132.9 µg/L	No	2	A-
116	Blue Island	132.9 µg/L	No	19	C
117	Northbrook	132.8 µg/L	No	55	D
118	Bolingbrook	132.7 µg/L	No	2	A
119	O Fallon	132.6 µg/L	No	17	A-
120	Waukegan	132.6 µg/L	No	5	B+
121	Cicero	132.5 µg/L	No	3	B
122	Wilmette	132.5 µg/L	No	0	A
123	North Lake	132.3 µg/L	No	1	B+
124	Weston	132.2 µg/L	No	6	A
125	Elmhurst	132.1 µg/L	No	2	A-
126	Roselle	132.0 µg/L	No	2	A-
127	Glendale Heights	131.9 µg/L	No	1	A
128	Markham	131.9 µg/L	No	7	B
129	South Holland	131.8 µg/L	No	5	B-
130	Mokena	131.8 µg/L	No	2	A
131	Chicago Heights	131.7 µg/L	No	0	B+
132	Deerfield	131.7 µg/L	No	4	B
133	Zion	131.7 µg/L	No	1	B
134	Glenwood	131.6 µg/L	No	0	B+
135	Summit	131.6 µg/L	No	1	B+
136	Lincoln	131.5 µg/L	No	8	F
137	Libertyville	131.1 µg/L	No	14	C
138	Palos Hills	131.1 µg/L	No	3	A
139	Lake Forest	131.1 µg/L	No	58	B-
140	Harvey	131.0 µg/L	No	1	B
141	Bensenville	131.0 µg/L	No	4	A
142	Addison	130.8 µg/L	No	0	A
143	Downers Grove	130.7 µg/L	No	2	A
144	Hazel Crest	130.6 µg/L	No	2	B
145	Justice	130.6 µg/L	No	0	A-
146	Schiller Park	130.6 µg/L	No	7	A-
147	Burr Ridge	130.3 µg/L	No	0	A
148	Lombard	130.3 µg/L	No	1	A-
149	Matteson	130.2 µg/L	No	1	B
150	Naperville	130.0 µg/L	No	0	B+
151	Evanston	130.0 µg/L	No	1	A+
152	Orland Park	130.0 µg/L	No	0	A-
153	Highland Park	130.0 µg/L	No	2	B+
154	Worth	129.9 µg/L	No	3	A
155	Maywood	129.8 µg/L	No	3	C+
156	Tinley Park	129.7 µg/L	No	0	B+
157	Westchester	129.6 µg/L	No	2	B
158	River Forest	129.6 µg/L	No	1	B+
159	Arlington Heights	129.5 µg/L	No	1	B-
160	Palatine	129.4 µg/L	No	2	B
161	Hickory Hills	129.3 µg/L	No	1	A
162	Chicago Ridge	129.3 µg/L	No	1	A-
163	Crestwood	129.2 µg/L	No	0	B
164	Woodridge	129.1 µg/L	No	2	A-
165	Berwyn	128.9 µg/L	No	3	A-
166	Niles	128.9 µg/L	No	3	B
167	Forest Park	128.9 µg/L	No	2	A-
168	Melrose Park	128.7 µg/L	No	6	C
169	Grays Lake	128.5 µg/L	No	6	A
170	Lincolnwood	128.3 µg/L	No	1	B+
171	Country Club Hills	128.2 µg/L	No	0	A-
172	Wheaton	128.1 µg/L	No	2	B-
173	New Lenox	128.1 µg/L	No	7	D+
174	Brookfield	128.1 µg/L	No	0	A-
175	North Chicago	127.5 µg/L	No	5	B+
176	Buffalo Grove	127.3 µg/L	No	1	A
177	Elk Grove	127.2 µg/L	No	2	A-
178	Palos Heights	127.0 µg/L	No	1	A-
179	Lisle	126.9 µg/L	No	2	A-
180	Glen Ellyn	126.5 µg/L	No	0	A-
181	Skokie	125.8 µg/L	No	9	C-
182	Bridgeview	125.4 µg/L	No	0	A-
183	Oak Forest	125.3 µg/L	No	0	B+
184	La Grange	124.9 µg/L	No	1	B
185	Elmwood Park	124.7 µg/L	No	3	B+
186	Oak Lawn	124.6 µg/L	No	2	B
187	Norridge	124.5 µg/L	No	0	A-
188	Wood Dale	124.3 µg/L	No	0	A-
189	Lyons	124.3 µg/L	No	7	A-
190	Lansing	124.2 µg/L	No	2	B
191	Plainfield	124.0 µg/L	No	23	B-
192	Villa Park	123.7 µg/L	No	2	A
193	Carol Stream	123.4 µg/L	No	1	A-
194	Hinsdale	122.5 µg/L	No	0	A
195	Taylorville	122.5 µg/L	No	0	A-
196	Evergreen Park	122.2 µg/L	No	0	B+
197	Burbank (South Stickney)	121.6 µg/L	No	7	B+
198	La Grange Park	121.4 µg/L	No	2	A
199	Wood River	121.3 µg/L	No	0	B+
200	Chicago	120.0 µg/L	No	68	F
201	Morton Grove	120.0 µg/L	No	2	B-
202	Freeburg	120.0 µg/L	No	7	A-
203	Mount Prospect	118.6 µg/L	No	1	B+
204	East Moline	113.2 µg/L	No	18	D+
205	Rock Island	111.6 µg/L	No	5	B-
206	Nashville	108.5 µg/L	No	27	C-
207	Centralia	107.8 µg/L	No	2	B
208	Dieterich	106.2 µg/L	No	7	F
209	Machesney Park	102.8 µg/L	No	4	B
210	Galesburg	100.8 µg/L	No	1	B
211	Mascoutah	100.0 µg/L	No	6	A-
212	West Chicago	99.6 µg/L	No	22	A
213	Springfield	96.0 µg/L	No	3	D
214	Mattoon	94.1 µg/L	No	14	B-
215	Tamaroa	87.1 µg/L	No	0	A-
216	Benton	87.0 µg/L	No	5	D
217	Waverly	86.8 µg/L	No	22	A
218	Collinsville	86.6 µg/L	No	12	C-
219	Salem	86.4 µg/L	No	7	C
220	Decatur	85.0 µg/L	No	28	B
221	Moline	83.9 µg/L	No	7	C
222	Canton	83.7 µg/L	No	7	B+
223	Carterville	79.8 µg/L	No	3	C+
224	Herrin	79.8 µg/L	No	0	C+
225	Murphysboro	79.3 µg/L	No	8	B
226	Jacksonville	79.0 µg/L	No	28	B-
227	Mount Vernon	78.7 µg/L	No	2	B+
228	Danville	78.0 µg/L	No	24	B
229	Marion	76.8 µg/L	No	29	D
230	Effingham	72.9 µg/L	No	2	A-
231	Washington	72.5 µg/L	No	5	C
232	Charleston	70.5 µg/L	No	10	C+
233	Carbondale	68.7 µg/L	No	26	D
234	Bloomington	68.0 µg/L	No	21	F
235	Eureka	62.2 µg/L	No	20	B
236	Glen Carbon	58.1 µg/L	No	0	B
237	Carpentersville	56.1 µg/L	No	0	B+

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about strontium in Illinois

Is strontium in Illinois tap water harmful?

Strontium at low levels is not considered harmful, but the EPA set a health reference level (HRL) of 1,500 µg/L based on potential bone effects. 18 cities in Illinois exceed this HRL. There is currently no federal MCL for strontium. Children may be more susceptible because strontium can substitute for calcium in developing bones.

How can I remove strontium from my drinking water?

Reverse osmosis and ion exchange (water softener) systems are effective at removing strontium from drinking water. Standard carbon filters are NOT effective. If your water comes from a well in an area with limestone or dolomite geology, consider testing for strontium.

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