The City of Aurora government’s Water Production Division has discovered elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes. Between January 2026 and June 2026, the City of Aurora’s Water Production Division collected 100 samples of water and analyzed them for lead. More than 10% of the samples collected exceeded the EPA’s action level for lead.
The action level, enacted in 1991 as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act, is a regulation that is set to limit the amount of lead and copper in drinking water. In 2024, the Lead & Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) took effect, which strengthened the sampling and monitoring requirements for lead in drinking water to be more protective of public health. As a result, testing within customer homes has shown lead concentrations in drinking water to be higher than previously determined under the Lead Copper Rule (LCR).
This result does not mean that all drinking water in Aurora contains lead. Instead, it serves as a statistical representation of lead found in specific qualified homes that participate in the sampling program. With these results, though, it is required by law that all members of the community are notified, and that further information be provided pertaining to lead in drinking water.
Specific actions being taken by the City of Aurora to mitigate lead exposure risks from drinking water include:
•Ongoing sampling to monitor lead occurrence and levels throughout the water distribution system
•Public education to assist homeowners with actions they can take individually to reduce exposure to lead
•Ongoing removal of lead service lines throughout Aurora
•Implementation of new corrosion control treatments, which include the use of orthophosphate. Orthophosphate proactively reacts with lead to reduce the amount of it that can leach into drinking water, thus lowering potential exposure to lead when the water comes in contact with a lead service line. This use of this treatment began in March
The City of Aurora will continue its commitment to protecting the health and well-being of every household in the community through proper testing, treatment, and supply of water.
Although some homes may have exceeded the EPA’s action level for lead, it is important to note that the water originating from the City of Aurora’s Water Treatment Plant does not have lead in it. In fact, Aurora’s drinking water fully complies with standards set by the State and Federal government.
Beginning in late 2024, the Illinois EPA instituted new water testing standards (Lead & Copper Rule Revisions), which has contributed to certain homes in the City exceeding the action level for lead.
In the past, Water Treatment Plant staff would sample only the first liter of water that comes out of a faucet in a residential unit to test for lead particles. Now, with the new testing standards, staff must test the first AND fifth liters of water. This testing change will contribute to a higher rate of lead being found, as the fifth liter of water has spent more time in the lead service line, causing more particles to be present when testing. The particles come from the lead service line, not the water treatment plant. As a result of this testing change, certain homes throughout the City now exceed the EPA’s action level for lead in water of 15 parts per billion.
Residents who want more information regarding lead service lines within the city can visit https://yourvoice.aurora.il.us/leadnotice. The interactive website includes a map that allows customers to verify if their service line is composed of lead, an unknown material, galvanized, or whether or not there are known lead connectors of unknown material feeding water into the line.
For more information about the City’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program, residents can email waterlines@aurora.il.us.
—City of Aurora government