UPDATE:  June 13, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. CST – Drinking Water Alert for Infants Lifted 

In consultation with Illinois EPA, Aqua Illinois is lifting the drinking water advisory issued on June 7, 2025, for infants under six months old. Customers can now resume normal use of their drinking water.  River nitrate levels, and those at the monitoring location required by the Illinois EPA are below the required level. Internal monitoring data has corroborated that all other monitoring locations are also under the nitrate limit. The advisory for infants under six months old for all municipalities is no longer in effect.

There will be no more bottled water distribution. 

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked to resolve this unprecedented incident.  

 Aqua Illinois levanta la recomendación de precaución respecto al consumo de agua potable para los bebés menores de 6 meses. Los clients pueden reanudar el uso normal del agua potable.  Si tiene preguntas o comentarios sobre este informe en español, favor de llamar al tel. 1.877.987.2782 para hablar con una persona bilingüe en español.  

Drinking Water Alert for Infants 

Due to recent rains combined with spring agricultural fertilization, nitrate levels increased in the Kankakee River impacting some customers served by our Kankakee Water Treatment Plant. 

As a result, Aqua Illinois has issued a drinking water alert for customers with infants served by our Kankakee Water Treatment Plant due to unprecedented levels of nitrate in the Kankakee River. This includes customers served by our Kankakee, Peotone, and University Park systems. Recent water samples show elevated levels of nitrates, which may be harmful to infants under six months. Adults and children older than six months old MAY STILL drink the water, however, if you are pregnant or have specific health concerns, you may wish to consult your doctor. 

Aqua’s systems were working as designed, and the company continues to monitor the nitrate level in the water.  

Here's the most important information:  

• What Happened: 
  • Due to recent rains combined with spring agricultural fertilization, nitrate levels increased in the Kankakee River impacting customers withinfants served by our Kankakee Water Treatment Plant.   
• What You Need to Do:  
  • DO NOT GIVE THE WATER TO INFANTS under six months of age. Use bottled water for formula preparation.  
  • Los niños menores de 6 meses de edad no deben beber el agua. No use el agua para preparar la fórmula para bebés (biberón). 
  • Water, juice, and formula for children under six months of age should not be prepared with tap water. Bottled water or other water low in nitrates should be used for infants until further notice.  
  • DO NOT BOIL THE WATER, as excessive boiling can worsen elevated nitrate levels.   
• What to Look Out For:  
  • Infants under six months of age could experience shortness of breath and blue color on the skin. If you notice this, seek medical attention immediately.  
• What to Expect Next:  
  • We believe recent rains combined with spring agricultural fertilization have led to unprecedented nitrate levels. We are actively monitoring the nitrate levels from the river. We will continue to provide updates as quickly as possible and will alert customers when they can resume normal use of their water. 
  • Bottled water will be available for families with infants starting Sunday between 12:00pm to 7:00pm throughout the rest of the event. Water will be available at three locations: 
    • 1000 S. Schuyler Ave., Kankakee, IL 60901 
    • 1737 E. Amberstone Rd., Manteno, IL 60950 
    • 24650 S Western Avenue, University Park, Il 60484 

Municipalities Affected by this notice: 

1. KankakeeMunicipalities served: City of Kankakee, Village of Bourbonnais, Village of Aroma Park, Village of Bradley, Village of Grant Park, Village of Limestone, Village of Manteno, Village of Peotone, Village of University Park and portions of the townships of Limestone, Bourbonnais, Kankakee, Manteno, Otto, Rockville, St. Anne, Summer, Yellowhead and Aroma. 
2. Peotone Municipalities served: Village of Peotone 
3. University Park Municipalities served: Village of University Park, portions of Green Garden, Crete and Monee townships. 

For more information, contact our customer service team at 877.987.2782. 

Si tiene preguntas o comentarios sobre este informe en español, favor de llamar al tel. 1.877.987.2782 para hablar con una persona bilingüe en español. 

We appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation as we work diligently to address this issue.  

You can see the full public notice here. 

This notice may contain required or recommended regulatory language. Nothing herein is, is intended as, nor should be construed as a promise of or contract for payment or reimbursement of expenses incurred for any action you take on account of this notice.