McHenry County, IL
drinking water quality
315,959 residents · 303 public water systems · 18 ZIP codes
EPA sampled 12 of 303 public water systems here, together serving about 228,221 people. The highest reading was PFOA at 8.3 ng/L at Prairie Path Water Co-Whispering Hills. 1 of the sampled system was above a federal limit. Last sampled 9/9/2025.
What was found
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| PFOA | 8.3 ng/L | 4 ng/L | 2.1× |
| PFHxS | 5.7 ng/L | 10 ng/L | 0.6× |
Also detected, with no federal limit set: lithium (11000 ng/L), PFPeA (14 ng/L), PFHxA (13 ng/L), PFBA (8.7 ng/L), PFBS (8.6 ng/L), PFHpA (3.6 ng/L).
Health-based violations
Separately from PFAS, EPA records 31 health-based violations across 29 of the county’s water systems since 2020, the most recent in 2025. They involved total coliform, lead and copper, contaminant 1032, E. coli, contaminant 0700, contaminant 0400.
What this means
PFAS are industrial chemicals that EPA describes as breaking down only very slowly in the environment. In April 2024 EPA set the first enforceable national limits: 4 ng/L for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ng/L for PFHxS, PFNA and GenX.
These figures are county-level and come from EPA’s sampling of public water systems. They describe the worst result found in the county, not what comes out of any particular tap — that depends on which system serves the address, and on the plumbing in the building. A private well is not covered by this programme at all.
ZIP codes in McHenry County
60012 · 60013 · 60014 · 60021 · 60033 · 60034 · 60050 · 60051 · 60071 · 60072 · 60081 · 60097 · 60098 · 60102 · 60142 · 60152 · 60156 · 60180
Readings are county-level, so every ZIP here shares the figure above. Search your ZIP on the map to see it in context.