Following the introduction of Lake Michigan water in 1992, the Village de-commissioned several of it wells, but retained several others for emergency purposes. 

Under the DWC Charter Customer Contract, the Village is not allowed to co-mingle water from our wells with the Lake Water delivered by the DWC.  The remaining wells are run monthly to insure operation and water quality sampling is performed.

All water utilities in the state of Illinois are required by the IEPA to perform testing for lead and copper every three years.  The most recent round of testing in Carol Stream was conducted in 2020 from over thirty (30) IEPA-approved locations throughout the community.

There were no samples drawn in Carol Stream that exceeded EPA limits.  In addition, utilities are required to complete an assessment of water main and service lines in an effort to identify any lead pipes.  The first phase of that work is complete and work is ongoing.  The possibility of lead pipes having been used anywhere in Carol Stream is extremely low due to the relatively young age of the water system.

View the most recent Water Quality Report, located at the top of this page, for complete results.

The Village’s maintains a rigorous water quality testing program and has an outstanding record of water quality.  Our staff draws water samples at multiple customer locations on a monthly basis that are tested by a certified laboratory and submitted to the IEPA. 

Each year the Village is required to prepare and publish a Customer Confidence Report (CCR) which includes water quality test results from the City of Chicago, the DuPage Water Commission, and the Village of Carol Stream. The most recent CCR can be found here:

The water that comes to Carol Stream originates in Lake Michigan, and is treated at the City of Chicago’s Jardine Water Purification Plant, the largest capacity water filtration plant in the world.  The plant, which is located just north of Navy Pier, is capable of processing over one million gallons per minute.  Once the water is fully treated at Jardine, it travels through very large pipes to the DuPage Water Commission facility in Elmhurst. 

From there, several large transmission mains distribute water to the various municipal and private utility customers throughout the County, including Carol Stream.  Once it arrives in Carol Stream, it moves through two pumping stations and pumped either directly to the system of water mains or into one of five aboveground storage tanks.  Carol Stream has three elevated towers with a combined capacity of 1.5 million gallons and two ground level storage tanks with a combined capacity of 5 million gallons.

As of May 1, 2022, Carol Stream drinking water costs $8.69/1,000 gallons, or just $0.00869 per gallon. Each water customer has a meter which records all water usage. The meter is also outfitted with an automated meter reading device (AMR) which transmits the meter data to a mobile reading device operated by the Village.  The data collected by the mobile device is downloaded by Water Billing personnel in the Village’s Finance Department and bills are generated on a monthly basis. 

For more information about your water bill, contact the Water Billing Department at 630-871-6222.

The B-box, or Buffalo box, is the top section of a valve that sits below ground level and enables the Public Works staff to turn on/off your water service outside the house. The only part visible at or above ground is a metal cap, approximately 4” in diameter.

Please call the Public Works Department at 630-871-6260 if you notice the b-box is too high above or below grade and we will adjust it. Also, please be aware of the b-box location when you are mowing your lawn.

Starting in summer 2018, the Village will undertake a multi-year program to replace approximately eighty-percent (80%) of the Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) devices in the system. Most customers will be receiving notification sometime in the next few years to make an appointment for a Village employee to replace their AMR. 

For more information, please click HERE.

Please visit our "How to Detect and Resolve High Water Usage" page to download a pamphlet with information about the top reasons for a high water bill and how to resolve them.

Since 1992 Carol Stream has been receiving water from Lake Michigan via the DuPage Water Commission (DWC).  We provide a little over one billion gallons of drinking water per year to residents and businesses.  The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) requires a permit for operation of the local system, appointment of an Operator-In-Charge and licensing of water plant operators.

For any water quality issues please call the Public Works Department at (630) 871-6260.  We will send a trained employee to your home to discuss your concerns and assist in diagnosing any potential causes.  Cloudy water, for instance, is typically the result of air in the pipes (either in your home or in the water mains). 

When you see cloudy water, pour some in a clear glass and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes.  Usually the air bubbles will dissipate and the water will look normal again. There is no cause for alarm due to air bubbles, but we will be happy to come out and take a look.