Byron's water system shows 13 contaminants above independent health guidelines, while remaining in compliance with federal standards. Legal limits and health guidelines are two different lines. Both are shown below, with sources, along with what a water filtration system in Byron should actually address. Call (815) 246-2868.
Long-term exposure risk: Long-term elevated exposure is associated with increased bladder cancer risk in the research behind EPA's own limits.
DBPs, disinfection byproducts, mostly trihalomethanes or THMs, form when the chlorine the city uses to disinfect reacts with natural organic matter in the source water. The disinfection itself is necessary; the byproducts are the problem, long-term elevated exposure is associated with increased bladder cancer risk in the research EPA cites, which is why they're federally capped at 80 parts per billion. Catalytic carbon strips them out at your house.
What treats it: Catalytic carbon system.
Long-term exposure risk: A radioactive metal. Long-term exposure raises bone cancer risk.
Radium is a naturally radioactive metal that leaches into deep wells from the bedrock, common in northern Illinois aquifers. Long-term exposure raises bone cancer risk, which is why it's federally limited to 5 picocuries per liter. Here's the good news: an ion-exchange water softener is an EPA-recognized treatment for it, the same equipment that fixes your hard water.
What treats it: Water softener (ion exchange), RO.
Long-term exposure risk: Years of exposure are linked to skin, bladder, and lung cancers. No taste, no smell.
Arsenic occurs naturally in the rock our aquifers sit in. The federal limit is 10 parts per billion, and long-term exposure above that is linked to skin, bladder, and lung cancers. It has no taste or smell, the only way you'd ever know is the report. RO and bone char media reduce it.
What treats it: RO (POU or whole-home), fluoride/bone char stage assists.
Long-term exposure risk: Dangerous specifically to infants: interferes with oxygen in their blood.
Nitrates come from fertilizer and runoff getting into groundwater, a real thing in farm country wells. The hard limit is 10 parts per million because above that it's dangerous for infants, it interferes with oxygen in their blood. RO removes it; boiling actually makes it worse.
What treats it: RO (POU or whole-home).
Long-term exposure risk: Industrial solvents: liver, kidney, and cancer risk depending on the compound.
That's an industrial solvent, the kind of compound that gets into groundwater from degreasers and dry-cleaning chemicals. Depending on the compound, long-term exposure concerns include liver, kidney, and cancer risk. Carbon filtration is the certified treatment, and RO backs it up.
What treats it: Catalytic carbon; RO.
| Contaminant | Highest level tested | EWG health guideline | Times over | What treats it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | 0.248 ppb | 0.004 ppb | 62x | Reverse osmosis / bone char |
| Radium, combined (-226 & -228) | 2.23 pCi/L | 0.05 pCi/L | 45x | Water softener (ion exchange) or RO |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) | 5.52 ppb | 0.15 ppb | 37x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA9) | 1.76 ppb | 0.06 ppb | 29x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Nitrate | 3.16 ppm | 0.14 ppm | 23x | Reverse osmosis |
| Bromodichloromethane | 1.02 ppb | 0.06 ppb | 17x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) | 1.42 ppb | 0.1 ppb | 14x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) | 0.698 ppb | 0.06 ppb | 12x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Chloroform | 2.08 ppb | 0.4 ppb | 5.2x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Dichloroacetic acid | 0.910 ppb | 0.2 ppb | 4.6x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Dibromoacetic acid | 0.121 ppb | 0.03 ppb | 4x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Trichloroacetic acid | 0.390 ppb | 0.1 ppb | 3.9x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
| Dibromochloromethane | 0.350 ppb | 0.1 ppb | 3.5x | Catalytic carbon (+ RO backup) |
Levels are the utility's own most recent published test results as compiled by the EWG Tap Water Database. "Times over" compares against EWG's independent health guideline, not the federal legal limit; this system meets federal limits.
For most Byron homes the baseline is a properly sized water softener, which also reduces the radium in this report through EPA-recognized ion exchange. From there, the report tells us what else matters: carbon for the disinfection byproducts, a drinking-water system for the arsenic, and up the ladder from there. See the systems, or start with the free personal report.
Start where your budget is. Every tier is installed by a licensed plumber, tested at handoff, and includes the first year of care.
Properly sized water softener with full install hardware. Ends the hard water and reduces the radium in this report. The right first move for most Byron homes.
Adds catalytic carbon: chlorine and the disinfection byproducts (up to 37x the guideline here) gone at the wall.
Adds the drinking-water RO tap for the arsenic and UV protection. The serious lines, handled.
Every tap purified: whole-home RO, remineralized to pH 7.0 to 8.5, sealed storage that never sits still (24/7 UV recirculation), twin softening, leak protection, and our signature copper vortex stage.
Multiple buildings, outbuildings and barns, high-flow engineering, bespoke copper work. Designed one-on-one with the owner.
Sources: EWG Tap Water Database, Byron · Lead information for this utility · Illinois EPA Drinking Water Watch
The report is free, the call is 15 minutes, and nobody ever comes to your house to sell you. One licensed crew, a limited number of installs each month.