Restricted Status & Critical Review

The Environmental Protection Act prohibits the Agency from issuing a construction permit that will cause or extend a violation. A construction permit to expand the distribution system cannot be granted when a water supply has a maximum contaminant level or treatment technique violation, an inadequate source of raw water supply, inadequate treatment plant capacity, finished water storage or distribution system pressure. A Restricted Status List is published quarterly in the Illinois Pollution Control Board Environmental Register to notify those persons considering expansion of a water supply distribution system of that status before large sums of money have been spent on items such as land acquisition, financing and engineering fees. A companion Critical Review List is published concurrently with the Restricted Status List and has the water supplies that are approaching a point where the supply could be placed on Restricted Status. A permit application from a supply on Critical Review will be examined carefully to ensure that the proposed construction will not cause a violation.  An asterisk, *, beside the water supply indicates public water supplies that have been added to the Restricted Status/Critical Review list since the previous publication.

• Combined Restricted Status/Critical Review List (as of August 2023)

The Restricted Status List was developed to give additional notification to officials of public water supplies which are in violation of 35 Ill. Adm. Code, Subtitle F: Public Water Supplies, Chapter I or the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. 

The Restricted Status List will include all Public Water Supplies for which the Agency has information indicating a violation of any of the following requirements: Finished water quality requirements of 35 Ill. Adm. Code, Part 611; maintenance of adequate pressure on all parts of the distribution system under all conditions of demand; meeting raw water quantity requirements; or maintenance of treatment facilities capable of providing water "assuredly adequate in quantity" as required by Section 18 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

A public water supply on the Restricted Status List will not be issued permits for water main extensions, except for certain limited situations, or unless the supply has been granted a variance from the Illinois Pollution Control Board for the violation, or from permit issuance requirements of Section 39 of the Act.

This list is continually being revised as new information becomes available, and therefore, specific inquiries as to the status of any public water supply should be directed to the Division of Public Water Supplies for final determination.

The Critical Review List was developed to give additional notification to officials of public water supplies which may be close to being in violation of 35 Ill. Adm. Code, Subtitle F: Public Water Supplies, Chapter I or the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

A supply will be placed on the Critical Review List when Agency records indicate that it is approaching any of the violations that would place it on the Restricted Status List.

This list is continually being revised as new information becomes available, and therefore, specific inquiries as to the status of any public water supply should be directed to the Division of Public Water Supplies for final determination.