Living in Shields Township, IL: what to set up and who to call
The North Chicago water system reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. 83% of systems its size reported none. Shields Township has a train station, Great Lakes.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Shields 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 Shields Township.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Shields 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 North Chicago water system
The North Chicago water system supplies Shields Township: about 53% of residents live in its service area. Lake Forest serves another 23%. Lake Bluff serves another 18%. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists Waukegan and Great Lakes Naval Training Station as sellers) and serves 16,813 people in all.
2 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, the latest beginning Apr 2024. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 3.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 15.0 ppb. That’s higher than 85% of similar systems’ latest results.
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. IL0971250.
5 home internet providers serve Shields Township
100% of 7,872 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 6% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless, Fiber | 73% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 87% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 75% | 100/20 |
| E-vergent | Fixed wireless | 6% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Shields Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Shields Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Shields Township is in Lake Forest Community High School District 115; parts are in Lake Forest School District 67 (40%) and North Chicago School District 187 (32%) and Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 (29%).
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 Jul 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Shields Township spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Shields Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Shields Township | ZIP’s residents in Shields Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60088 | Great Lakes, IL | 38% | 100% |
| 60045 | Lake Forest, IL | 23% | 42% |
| 60044 | Lake Bluff, IL | 21% | 77% |
| 60064 | North Chicago, IL | 18% | 44% |
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Shields Township
Who supplies Shields Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The North Chicago water system (EPA ID IL0971250). It reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.6 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Shields 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 Shields Township?
Xfinity, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, E-vergent (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Shields Township?
60088 (38%), 60045 (23%), 60044 (21%), 60064 (18%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Shields Township in?
Lake Forest Community High School District 115. Parts of the city are in Lake Forest School District 67 and North Chicago School District 187 and Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65.
How do I register to vote in Shields 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 Lake 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.