The City of Aurora’s Water Production Division has discovered elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes. Between July 2025 and December 2025, 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
•Evaluation of centralized enhanced corrosion control water treatment to minimize pipe and plumbing components from corroding and contributing to lead dissolving in the water
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.
What Does This Mean For Aurora Residents?
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.
The City of Aurora government is actively removing lead and galvanized water lines to protect residents. Since 2018, the City has replaced 2,988 lead service lines, with more scheduled to be replaced in the coming years. These efforts will greatly assist in mitigating the chance for any lead particles to end up in household drinking water.
—City of Aurora government