Berkeley, IL: 1 Violation - Home Safety 75/100
1 ZIP code · 4 water systems · Updated
ZipCheckup grade for Berkeley: B.
This ZIP looks solid, with a few items worth a quick check.
Throughout Berkeley and across its water systems, EPA compliance data for IL shows above-average performance - violations are minimal, none of the tracked systems have recorded repeated MCL exceedances in recent cycles, and the safety picture has held steady across multiple reporting periods.
How Berkeley Compares
Data: EPA SDWIS
Berkeley Water: The Quick Version
- Your city's water systems recorded 1 violation in the past 5 years.
- Average lead level: 0.0084 mg/L.
- Homes built before 1986: 98% - older plumbing may contain lead solder.
- Estimated remediation: $1,600 per household.
- CDC health risk index: 11.18.
Water Systems Serving Berkeley
Residential addresses in Berkeley, IL are served by 3 primary water providers out of 4 systems in federal records. Each system maintains separate infrastructure and files its own EPA compliance reports, so service conditions are not uniform across the city.
- B
- B
- B
Overview
We track home safety data for 1 ZIP code in Berkeley, Illinois (population ~5,205), covering 4 community water systems serving approximately 82,620 people region-wide. The EPA snapshots used for this build directly map water systems to 1 of 1 ZIP codes.
1 of 1 ZIP code with a reported violation count in the available EPA record (100%) have recorded EPA violations. The available record reports no health-based violations for this measured scope.
Home Safety Score
Average Home Safety Score for Berkeley: B (75/100)
Model 4.0.0 uses four measured components across three equally weighted domains. If a required domain is unavailable, no score is published:
| Factor | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Water Quality | EPA violations and compliance history |
| PFAS MCL Screen | UCMR 5 testing against the covered federal MCLs |
| Radon Risk | EPA radon zone classification |
| Annual AQI | EPA AirData county-year median with at least 90 observed days |
Water Sources
Berkeley water systems draw from: Surface water.
Lead & Copper
- Average lead level (90th percentile): 0.0084 mg/L (EPA action level: 0.015 mg/L)
- 0 of 1 ZIP code with known status exceed the EPA lead action level
Radon Risk
Dominant radon zone: Zone 2 (Moderate Risk)
The EPA recommends testing homes in Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas for radon.
Top Contaminants
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | ZIPs Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Treatment Technique | 2 | 1 |
Areas with Most Violations
| ZIP Code | Safety Score | Violations | Health-Based | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60163 | B | 1 | 0 | Berkeley |
All ZIP Codes in Berkeley
- 60163 [B] - 1 violation
Data Sources
- Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
- Lead/copper: EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data
- Radon: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Reporting periods vary by source. Missing data is shown as unavailable, not as zero.
CDC Health Data for Berkeley
Source: CDC PLACES (County-level estimates). Water contamination can correlate with respiratory and chronic health conditions.
Compared to National Average
Vertical line = national average. ■ Above national · ■ Below national
Key Contaminants Detected in Berkeley
Based on EPA violation records. Check your ZIP code report for system-specific contaminant data.
How Old Is Berkeley's Housing Stock?
With 98% of homes built before 1986, lead solder in plumbing is a potential concern. The EPA banned lead solder in 1986, but many older homes retain original plumbing.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).
Housing Age Profile
Berkeley's housing stock is predominantly older, with a median build year of 1955 that reflects decades of construction before federal plumbing standards were tightened. The 1986 ban on lead solder and the pre-1970 era of lead service lines are both relevant benchmarks here - a significant share of the residential inventory predates one or both of those cutoffs, creating an elevated baseline for plumbing-related lead risk that aggregate water quality data may not fully reflect at the household level.
Over half of homes in Berkeley were built before 1986, when lead solder was banned. Older plumbing may leach lead into drinking water, especially with corrosive water chemistry.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034.
Berkeley: Remediation Cost in Perspective
Placing remediation in the context of Berkeley's property market, the equity share is low - most homeowners here are weighing a financial commitment that fits comfortably within routine property planning, far from the threshold where remediation becomes a material equity decision rather than a standard upkeep consideration.
Remediation costs in Berkeley are relatively low compared to home values. The $800–$2,600 estimated range is a small fraction of median property value. Home values are 21% above the Illinois average.
Protecting Children from Lead in Berkeley
Why children are most at risk: The CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Children under 6 absorb lead more readily than adults, and even low levels can cause developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems.
Before the federal solder ban, lead solder was a routine plumbing material, and 98% of the Berkeley inventory was built in that earlier era - a share large enough to move household-level reads onto the standard list.
Sources: EPA Lead and Copper Rule, U.S. Census Bureau ACS, CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention guidelines.
Historical Flood-Claim Evidence for Berkeley
Historical NFIP data for Berkeley contains 5 flood insurance claims. Among claims with payment data, the average reported building, contents, and ICC component sum is $11,216. Among ZIP codes with claim records, 0% have an A- or V-family dominant rated zone recorded in those historical claims. This is not a complete current FEMA property-map inventory.
How flooding affects water quality: Flood events can introduce sewage, agricultural runoff, and industrial chemicals into water supplies. Even after floodwaters recede, contamination can persist in wells and aging infrastructure. The <strong>$1,600</strong> remediation estimate shown here excludes flood insurance and is not derived from NFIP claim count.
Claim count does not establish current property risk. Check the exact address in FEMA's current map and obtain a property-specific insurance quote when relevant.
Source: historical FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim records. No current FEMA property-map designation is asserted.
Deep Dive Reports
Detailed analysis for Berkeley, IL