Iron in Illinois well water
In Illinois, iron was detected in 89% of 6,925 tested private well samples.
Iron is a nuisance rather than a health hazard: rust stains, metallic taste, and clogged fixtures above 300 ug/L. It often occurs with manganese and can feed iron bacteria that foul plumbing.
Check your iron number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Illinois well for iron
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
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Systems that remove iron
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Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For iron
Iron and manganese oxidizing filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $1,800
Air-injection or greensand media; fixes staining at the source.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for iron in Illinois: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from individual samples
Public monitoring samples against the EPA limit; counties with at least 30 samples.
| County | Above EPA limit | Samples | Detected | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massac | no limit | 32 | 100% | 460 | 8,900 ug/L |
| DeKalb | no limit | 87 | 99% | 224 | 3,200 ug/L |
| Lake | no limit | 390 | 98% | 200 | 45,000 ug/L |
| Cook | no limit | 956 | 98% | 0 | 58,400 ug/L |
| Macon | no limit | 50 | 98% | 1,800 | 8,960 ug/L |
| Bureau | no limit | 297 | 98% | 580 | 56,000 ug/L |
| Pulaski | no limit | 39 | 97% | 2,260 | 10,600 ug/L |
| Iroquois | no limit | 59 | 97% | 1,420 | 3,570 ug/L |
| Madison | no limit | 177 | 97% | 3,090 | 39,600 ug/L |
| Vermilion | no limit | 54 | 96% | 10,950 | 13,700 ug/L |
| DuPage | no limit | 510 | 95% | 40 | 120,000 ug/L |
| De Witt | no limit | 93 | 95% | 1,800 | 9,700 ug/L |
| Randolph | no limit | 55 | 95% | 290 | 9,520 ug/L |
| Champaign | no limit | 150 | 94% | 1,355 | 4,680 ug/L |
| St. Clair | no limit | 93 | 94% | 3,550 | 82,000 ug/L |
- Milton township, DuPage County100% detected of 41
- Bethel township, McDonough County100% detected of 43
- Ela township, Lake County100% detected of 60
- DeKalb township, DeKalb County100% detected of 31
- Libertyville township, Lake County100% detected of 34
- Wood River township, Madison County100% detected of 35
- Chouteau township, Madison County100% detected of 42
- Zion township, Lake County100% detected of 33
- Maine township, Cook County100% detected of 34
- Danville township, Vermilion County100% detected of 32
- Schaumburg township, Cook County100% detected of 68
- Proviso township, Cook County100% detected of 65
- Palatine township, Cook County100% detected of 59
- Lyons township, Cook County100% detected of 52
- Chicago, Cook County99% detected of 115
- York township, DuPage County99% detected of 155
- Wheeling township, Cook County98% detected of 142
- Mineral township, Bureau County98% detected of 216
- Warren township, Lake County97% detected of 37
- Bloomingdale township, DuPage County97% detected of 35
Sources
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. iron counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.