PWSID IL0970200
FOX LAKE
Community water system based in Ingleside, IL
Service area on file with EPA: Fox Lake · Lake County. EPA's recorded service area can be incomplete for regional authorities. The cities and counties above are what the utility has filed with EPA; the utility may serve additional areas.
- Population served
- 12k
- Source
- Groundwater
- Status
- Active
At a glance
3 above the safety limit, 1 detection to watch
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Copper was found above the federal safety limit. Long-term high exposure can affect the liver and kidneys.
Most recent lead and copper test · See details below
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PFOS is a "forever chemical" that builds up in the body. The most recent test was above the federal safety limit, and long-term exposure has been linked to cancer and other health problems.
Most recent EPA PFAS test · See details below
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Confirmed lead service lines were found in this system's inventory. Lead can leach into drinking water as it passes through these pipes.
From the utility's published inventory · See details below
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Public health experts agree no amount of lead in drinking water is safe. Even low levels can affect children's brain development.
Most recent lead and copper test · See details below
-
CDC's My Water's Fluoride listing reports this system adjusts fluoride to the recommended level, or buys water from a system that does.
Per CDC My Water's Fluoride · See details below
Risk classification follows EPA's published values for safe drinking water, with caution and concern bands reviewed by a clinician. Past resolved violations do not influence this card. See methodology.
Lead service line inventory
Lead or galvanized-requiring-replacement service lines confirmed in this system
Fox Lake (PWS) reports 70 confirmed lead service lines, 0 non-lead, 3,339 unknown (total 3,409) in its Illinois EPA Service Line Material Inventory (reporting year 2024). EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions treat unknown and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines as lead for notification and replacement scheduling until verified.
- 70 confirmed lead service lines
- 0 galvanized requiring replacement (LCRI treats these as lead)
- 3,339 unknown (97.9% of total)
- 0 confirmed non-lead (0.0%)
- 3,409 total service lines in the system
Why this is a health concern. A galvanized iron service line that was ever installed downstream of a historic lead component (a lead service line, a lead gooseneck connector, or lead solder) absorbed lead into its corrosion layer over decades. The pipe continues to release that accumulated lead into water for years after the upstream lead source is removed. That is why EPA's LCRI treats GRR lines as lead and requires their replacement on the same 10-year schedule as confirmed lead lines. Read our plain-English lead guide.
What to do if your service line might be lead
- Ask your utility to check the service-line classification for your specific address. Many utilities provide a public address-lookup tool linked from the inventory page.
- Get on the replacement queue. Under the LCRI, utilities must replace all lead and galvanized-requiring- replacement lines within 10 years (clock generally starts November 2027). Some prioritize requests.
- Until the line is replaced: flush the tap 30 seconds after long stagnation, use cold water for drinking and cooking, and consider an NSF/ANSI 53 lead-rated tap filter.
- Talk to your clinician about a blood lead test for anyone in the home, especially a pregnant person or a child under 6. Lead in drinking water guide.
Inventory data sourced from Fox Lake (PWS) (reporting date April 17, 2025; retrieved May 24, 2026 ; curator confidence: high ). Confirmed against the original source automatically each month; see methodology.
Lead and copper test results
The most recent measurement per contaminant from EPA's Lead and Copper Rule sampling.
Why only lead and copper, and not arsenic, nitrate, or others?
EPA's bulk SDWIS download is the only nationwide per-system sample data they publish, and it only includes the Lead and Copper Rule table. Values for other regulated contaminants (TTHMs, nitrate, arsenic, etc.) appear on this page only when they trigger a violation. For the full per-system contaminant suite, see the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (link further down the page).
Data from EPA SDWIS (Lead and Copper Rule sample table) , last refreshed May 24, 2026.
PFAS and emerging contaminants
This system was tested 240 times under EPA's latest PFAS monitoring program; 3 of the 30 chemicals tested were detected.
What is this testing program?
EPA's fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule cycle (UCMR 5, 2023 to 2025) required every public water system serving over 3,300 people to test for 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) plus lithium; 30 chemicals in total. Most recent detection per chemical shown below.
| Contaminant | Most recent detection | Date | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ng/L | August 12, 2024 | Concern | |
| 3.5 ng/L | August 12, 2024 | No federal limit | |
| 0.00993 mg/L | August 12, 2024 | Below regulatory thresholds |
Tested but not detected (27 contaminants)
EPA tested for these substances and every sample was below the minimum reporting level. Absence of detection does not mean true zero; it means below the laboratory's quantitation threshold.
Data from EPA UCMR 5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule) , last refreshed May 24, 2026.
Fluoride
Per CDC My Water's Fluoride
FOX LAKE adds fluoride to its drinking water.
CDC classifies a system as fluoridated when it adjusts fluoride to the recommended level, or when it buys water from a system that does. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends 0.7 mg/L for community water fluoridation.
Source: CDC My Water's Fluoride, listed under FOX LAKE (Lake County). Verify on CDC's site .
Area context
Lake County, IL (2020 data)
- Community water systems
- 92 of 102 add fluoride
- Population on fluoridated water
- 774,591 of 787,484 (98.4%)
Illinois statewide (2020 data)
- Population on fluoridated water
- 11,457,094 of 11,640,823 (98.4%)
- Community water systems adding fluoride
- 1,639 of 1,815
Data from CDC My Water's Fluoride (per-system status) , last refreshed May 19, 2026.
Data from CDC Water Fluoridation Reporting System (state and county aggregates) , last refreshed May 16, 2026.
Compliance history
EPA-recorded violations against this system over the last 5 years.
How to read this section
Health-based violations are when a measured limit was exceeded; the measured concentration is shown alongside the EPA federal limit where SDWIS published it. Monitoring and reporting items are paperwork issues (missed sample dates, late filings) that do not themselves indicate unsafe water.
No health-based violations
No health-based violations on file in the last 5 years. EPA recorded 17 monitoring or reporting items (paperwork) during the same period.
17 monitoring and reporting item s (paperwork) , 1 still open · these are not health risks
| Period start | Relates to | Item | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2025 | Consumer Confidence Rule | Consumer Confidence Report Inadequate Reporting | Unaddressed |
| January 1, 2023 | Beryllium, Total | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Cyanide | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Mercury | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Thallium, Total | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Nickel | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Benzo(a)Pyrene | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Antimony, Total | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Oxamyl | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Selenium | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Cadmium | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Arsenic | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Chlordane | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Chromium | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Carbofuran | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Barium | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
| January 1, 2023 | Fluoride | Monitoring, Regular | Resolved |
Data from EPA SDWIS (violation records) , last refreshed May 24, 2026.
Where to see every contaminant this utility tested for
EPA's bulk SDWIS dataset gives MyTapWater.us per-system measured values for lead and copper, plus violation records for everything else. To see every regulated contaminant this utility tested for in the past year (TTHMs, HAA5, nitrate, arsenic, fluoride, chromium, etc.) with measured values, read the utility's Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Every community water system is required by EPA to publish a CCR annually, by July 1, listing every contaminant they sampled, the measured value, the federal limit, and any health-based exceedances. Most utilities post the report online; some mail it with your bill.
How to find FOX LAKE's CCR:
- Search the web for "FOX LAKE consumer confidence report" . The PDF is usually on the utility's own website.
- Or call the utility directly. Their phone number is in the contact section below.
Other water systems in Lake County, IL
Compare nearby utilities by population served.
- WAUKEGAN
87k served · WAUKEGAN
- VERNON HILLS - LAKE CO PW
33k served · VERNON HILLS
- MUNDELEIN
32k served · MUNDELEIN
- GURNEE
30k served · GURNEE
- HIGHLAND PARK
30k served · HIGHLAND PARK
Contact this utility
Public administrative contact information for this water system, as filed with the EPA. Use this to ask about your service line, request your home's lead status, or report a water quality issue.
- Administrator
- NOVAK, SUSAN
- Phone
- 847-587-8570
- novaks@foxlake.org
- Mailing address
- 216 Washington StINGLESIDE, IL 60041
Where this page's data comes from
Bundle released 2026-Q2, regenerated May 24, 2026. Each section above also shows its own source date so you can tell at a glance how fresh that part of the page is.
- EPA SDWIS bulk download — last refreshed May 24, 2026 (system info, violations, lead and copper samples).
- EPA UCMR 5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule) — last refreshed May 24, 2026 (PFAS and lithium).
- Lead service line inventory — last refreshed May 24, 2026 (from the utility's reported inventory).
- CDC My Water's Fluoride — last refreshed May 19, 2026 (per-system Yes/No fluoridation status).
- CDC Water Fluoridation Reporting System — last refreshed May 16, 2026 (state and county fluoridation aggregates).
Every value on this page is cross-verified before publication; read our methodology for the verification steps and corrections process.