Il American-Sterling, IL
Lead reported as not detected
Latest 90th-percentile lead: reported as 0 (not detected) (monitoring period 2025-2025). The federal action level is 15 ppb today and drops to 10 ppb in Nov 2027; EPA's health goal is 0. The latest 90th-percentile result was reported as 0 (not detected at the lab's limit). That says the sampled homes were low, not that your home has no lead service line. Check your utility's service line inventory for your address.
About Il American-Sterling
Il American-Sterling serves about 14,782 people through 6,608 service connections, which makes it a large system under EPA's size classes. It is privately owned and draws groundwater, in Whiteside County, Illinois. EPA system ID: IL1955040; phone on file: 618-874-2408. Ask them for your address in their service line inventory - every system had to publish one by Oct 2024.
Lead results over time
Against the period ending 2025 (0 ppb) the latest result is about the same. The highest 90th-percentile result EPA holds for Il American-Sterling is 3 ppb across 5 monitoring periods, none of them over 15 ppb.
| Period ending | 90th-percentile lead |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2025 | 0 (not detected) |
| 2023 | 3 ppb |
| 2020 | 2 ppb |
| 2017 | 2 ppb |
How Il American-Sterling compares
Of the 1,744 Illinois systems with a lead result, the median latest reading is 0 ppb; 22 are over 15 ppb right now and 152 have gone over at some point. Il American-Sterling's reported as 0 (not detected) sits at the 52nd percentile in Illinois and the 38th nationally (higher means more lead). Systems reporting 0 tie at the bottom, so the rank mostly reflects size among them.
Nearby utilities
10 other systems share Whiteside County; 4 of them have a higher latest lead result than Il American-Sterling. If you are unsure which one supplies your house, the name on your water bill decides it.
| System | People | Latest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Rock Falls | 8,620 | 3.1 ppb |
| Morrison | 4,188 | 4.6 ppb |
| Fulton | 3,346 | 0 (not detected) |
| Prophetstown | 1,946 | 0 (not detected) |
| Erie | 1,479 | 1.2 ppb |
| Albany | 846 | 1.6 ppb |
| Tampico | 689 | 0 (not detected) |
| Lyndon | 537 | 0 (not detected) |
| Country Acres Mhp (Whiteside County) | 232 | 0 (not detected) |
| Honeycutt Hill Mhp Llc | 75 | 0 (not detected) |
What to do in your house
Look up your address in Il American-Sterling's service line inventory. If it says lead, galvanized or unknown, test your tap. If your own line is lead, replacing the private side runs about $1,200-$12,300 (EPA average about $4,700). Ask Il American-Sterling whether it covers that cost before hiring anyone - many utilities now do.
These figures describe homes the utility sampled, not your tap. Only your service line record or a test of your own water answers the question for your house. Why sampled homes are the worst-case ones is in the guide to reading the number. A zero today does not rule out a jump later - the rules are tightening in 2027.