Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Downs, IL: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2026 is still open for the Downs water system. Thursday is trash day in Downs; GFL (formally AREA Disposal) collects.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Downs, 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 Downs.
Power comes from Ameren Illinois Company
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Downs. 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 Downs water system
The Downs water system supplies Downs: about 74% of residents live in its service area. About 26% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 1,201 people in all.
3 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: iron ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule), the latest beginning Jan 2026. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule), per EPA’s records.
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. The highest in five years was 6.6 ppb. 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. IL1130500.
9 home internet providers serve Downs
100% of 490 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 97% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/50 |
| Pavlov Media | Fiber | 98% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL, Fiber | 88% | 7,000/7,000 |
| Watch Communications | Fixed wireless | 98% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 97% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 87% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Downs is Thursday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Downs, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
- RecyclingTwice a month, Thu · which week: villageofdowns.org
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Aluminum and steel cans
- Mixed paper
- Cardboard
- Plastic bottles and containers
- Glass
From villageofdowns.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Downs is in Tri-Valley Community Unit School District 3.
ASchool 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.
Downs spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Downs residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Downs | ZIP’s residents in Downs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61736 | Downs, IL | 98% | 60% |
| 61705 | Bloomington, IL | 2% | 0% |
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 Downs
Who supplies Downs’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Downs water system (EPA ID IL1130500). It reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: iron ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule). 78% 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 Downs?
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 Downs?
Mediacom Xtream, Pavlov Media, Frontier, Watch Communications, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Downs?
61736 (98%), 61705 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Downs in?
Tri-Valley Community Unit School District 3.
How do I register to vote in Downs?
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 McLean 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: Downs’ own website (villageofdowns.org), read Oct 22, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.