Best Tap Water In IL Can Be Found In Kane County City, Survey Finds

AURORA, IL — One city in Illinois was found to have some of the most drinkable tap water in the country, according to a new survey from an asset management group.

ITAMG.com released the findings of a survey that identified Aurora, Illinois's second-largest city, as having the top-rated tap water in the state and among the top 40 best in the country.

The list ranks cities in the United States where visitors would be least to most likely to drink tap water. Where a No. 1 ranking is typically considered to be the best, the survey lists the top scorer as the worst. Aurora placed 209th out of 245 cities analyzed, with Wilmington, Delaware, coming in 245th place with the most drinkable tap water.

Comparatively, Joliet, Chicago and Naperville ranked poorly, at 18, 20 and 31, respectively.

"Aurora's tap water is sourced from the Fox River and a blend of water from several shallow wells and deep wells, which draw from the Cambrian-Ordovician," an ITAMG.com spokesperson said. "Residents generally find the water quality to be good and safe for drinking."

RELATED: 'Best Water In State' Award Goes To Aurora

Detroit was voted as having the least drinkable tap water, despite the liquid undergoing "extensive treatment to meet safety and quality standards. It is generally considered to have a clean and neutral taste, with a slight chlorine taste."

While Detroit appeared high on the list of least trusted tap water, the company noted its poor perception could be caused by the state's previous water crises, including the disaster in Flint where thousands of residents were exposed to dangerous levels of lead.

The survey polled 3,000 Americans based on age, gender and geography. The company used internal data sources to obtain population data sets as well as a two-step process to ensure stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting were represented.

It's not the first time Aurora has been recognized for its water. In 2022, the city won the Best Water In Illinois Award from the American Water Works Association. A year before that, it was voted as having the best water in the county, Patch reported.