EPA investigating after IL residents report discolored, smelly water coming from faucets for months

BEAVERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- There is an I-Team development on black and brown water coming out of faucets in one Illinois village.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now involved with trying to figure out why some residents are dealing with discolored water.

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The I-Team first reported on dark, smelly water in Beaverville in November 2025. That village is located about 80 miles south of Chicago. The village says it hasn't received complaints in months. However, some residents say their water is still discolored.

"I don't trust the water; I really don't," Beaverville resident Kathleen Butron said.

Video from just days ago and more from March show what's been coming out of the faucets at Butron's home and Tonja Galderio's home in Beaverville.

Health experts say the issue is aesthetic and that the discolored water is safe to drink, despite the look and smell.

In a November report, the Illinois EPA said too much manganese was the cause and that the issue could be due to filter and infrastructure problems. The village says continued testing shows a replaced filter corrected the water issue.

The village told the I-Team "All remediation measures and corrective actions required by the IEPA have now been fully completed."

But Butron and Galderio say they're still dealing with dark water. Butron even submitted recent discolored water videos to health officials, and now the U.S. EPA is involved.

That agency has recently dispatched inspectors, and says it's working to address potential drinking water violations, while providing the IEPA technical assistance. The U.S. EPA says both agencies will work together to make sure the community water supply meets the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

"But it was only through your efforts and your diligence coming down with your team, and making this happen for us," Butron said.

In November, the village didn't respond to emails, and the mayor wasn't home.

"It's been taken care of. You need to talk to the board; I don't have anything to do with (it)," Beaverville water operator Perry Regnier said.

Now, the village's attorney says the "Village has worked to identify and resolve the root causes of these issues."

And the village blames them on "performance lapses by the Village's former service provider."

Officials said they have worked to fix "inherited issues."

The former water service provider, E.R.H. Enterprises, said the village "has not supplied us with any evidence for their false and untrue assertions." They called them "malicious" and "defamatory."

E.R.H. says, "There was never any issue with the quality of the water supply while we were managing the Village's system."

The village of Beaverville says it works with IEPA, adding that the village is committed to maintaining a safe and reliable water supply for all residents.