Photo: Aaron Lucas · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Benton, IL: what to set up and who to call
The Benton water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. Two school districts split the grades in Benton: Benton Consolidated High School District 103 and Benton Community Consolidated School District 47.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Benton, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Benton.
Power comes from Ameren Illinois Company
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Benton. Its homes paid an average of 16.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $148 a month (its average across Illinois, for customers on its standard service). Illinois lets you buy power from another supplier; 45% of Ameren Illinois Company’s home customers do, and Ameren Illinois Company still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Benton water system
The Benton water system supplies almost all of Benton. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Rend Lake Inter-City Water System as seller) and serves 8,104 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. IL0550050.
8 home internet providers serve Benton
100% of 3,203 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparklight | Cable | 99% | 1,000/50 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 86% | 7,000/7,000 |
| Futiva | Fiber | 28% | 1,000/1,000 |
| ClearWave | Fiber | 11% | 7,000/7,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 93% | 300/20 |
| Wisper | Fixed wireless | 78% | 400/30 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Benton’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Benton.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Benton is in two districts that split the grades: Benton Consolidated High School District 103 and Benton Community Consolidated School District 47.
C−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Benton is in ZIP code 62812
ZIP codes where Benton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Benton | ZIP’s residents in Benton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62812 | Benton, IL | 100% | 61% |
A few homes fall in 62897.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Benton
Who supplies Benton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Benton water system (EPA ID IL0550050). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Benton?
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 16.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Benton?
Sparklight, Frontier, Futiva, ClearWave, Verizon, Wisper (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Benton?
62812. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Benton in?
Benton Consolidated High School District 103 and Benton Community Consolidated School District 47. Parts of the city are in Ewing Northern Community Consolidated District 115.
How do I register to vote in Benton?
In Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before). Elections here are run by the Franklin County Clerk. Check your registration at ova.elections.il.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.