What's in CHARLESTON's water?
CHARLESTON had a health-based violation within the last five years. The required corrective action was reported, but it happened recently enough to matter. 17,286 people get their water from it, across 7,000 connections.
Ranked against every other system in this dataset
Out of 12,903 systems in this dataset, CHARLESTON ranks 3,663th by violation burden (72th percentile) - 14 violations total, 5 health-baseds.
How CHARLESTON compares within IL
IL's 560 covered systems average 5.0 health-based violations each; CHARLESTON carries 5, not more than typical for the state. The filter guide explains what a violation like this actually calls for.
Most recent violation on record
The last violation EPA has on record for CHARLESTON is from 2026-01-01 (health-based: 2025-05-10). Last reported to EPA: 05/27/2026.
What kind of problem, specifically
CHARLESTON's flagged contaminants and rule violations, grouped by what they actually mean for a filter choice rather than left as EPA's raw code list:
- Lead & copper - flagged from: LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS
- Microbial contamination / treatment technique - flagged from: Coliform (TCR); Surface Water Treatment Rule
The most severe category on record is lead & copper, which points toward a lead-class filter if you want to address it directly.
What this data is and is not
This is what CHARLESTON reported to its state primacy agency and EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act - real regulatory record, not a lab test of your specific tap. This record - 5 health-based violations on file for CHARLESTON - stops at the meter and cannot see household plumbing on the other side of it. The guide to what this data misses covers that gap.