Living in Gardner, IL: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Gardner comes from the Gardner water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Two school districts split the grades in Gardner: Gardner Community Consolidated School District 72C and Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gardner, 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 Gardner.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Gardner. 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 Gardner water system
The Gardner water system supplies almost all of Gardner. It draws ground water and serves 1,361 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, 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. IL0630400.
5 home internet providers serve Gardner
100% of 587 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraus Electronic Systems | Cable | 100% | 2,500/50 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 5% | 25/3 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 85% | 25/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 16% | 300/20 |
| Watch Communications | Fixed wireless | 14% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Gardner’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Gardner.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Gardner is in two districts that split the grades: Gardner Community Consolidated School District 72C and Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District.
B−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.
Gardner is in ZIP code 60424
ZIP codes where Gardner residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gardner | ZIP’s residents in Gardner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60424 | Gardner, IL | 100% | 65% |
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 Gardner
Who supplies Gardner’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Gardner water system (EPA ID IL0630400). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gardner?
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gardner?
Kraus Electronic Systems, AT&T, Rise Broadband, Verizon, Watch Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gardner?
60424. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gardner in?
Gardner Community Consolidated School District 72C and Gardner-South Wilmington Township High School District.
How do I register to vote in Gardner?
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 Grundy 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.