Living in Essex Township, IL: what to set up and who to call
The Lake Shannon water system reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×3. 77% of systems its size reported none. Two school districts split the grades in Essex Township: Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District and Herscher Community Unit School District 2.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Essex Township, 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 Essex Township.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Essex Township. Its homes paid an average of 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Illinois, for customers on its standard service). Illinois lets you buy power from another supplier; 20% of Commonwealth Edison’s home customers do, and Commonwealth Edison still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Lake Shannon water system
The Lake Shannon water system supplies Essex Township: about 5% of residents live in its service area. About 95% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 500 people in all.
3 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×3, the latest beginning Jul 2025. 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2026–Dec 2028, 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. IL0910020.
7 home internet providers serve Essex Township
63% of 780 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 45% | 1,000/50 |
| Frontier | DSL | 6% | 115/7 |
| Bertram Communications | Fixed wireless | 39% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 31% | 300/20 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 19% | 25/5 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 5% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Essex Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Essex Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Essex Township is in two districts that split the grades: Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District and Herscher Community Unit School District 2.
A−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 Aug 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Essex Township spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Essex Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Essex Township | ZIP’s residents in Essex Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60935 | Essex, IL | 73% | 100% |
| 60961 | Reddick, IL | 22% | 45% |
| 60913 | Bonfield, IL | 2% | 2% |
| 60481 | Wilmington, IL | 1% | 0% |
A few homes fall in 60917, 60424, 60941.
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 Essex Township
Who supplies Essex Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Lake Shannon water system (EPA ID IL0910020). It reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×3. 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2026–Dec 2028), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Essex Township?
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Essex Township?
Mediacom Xtream, Frontier, Bertram Communications, Verizon, Rise Broadband, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Essex Township?
60935 (73%), 60961 (22%), 60913 (2%), 60481 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Essex Township in?
Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District and Herscher Community Unit School District 2. Parts of the city are in Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U and South Wilmington Consolidated School District 74.
How do I register to vote in Essex Township?
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 Kankakee 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.