Living in Willow Lake, IL: what to set up and who to call
Willow Lake has no town government of its own, so Stephenson County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Freeport School District 145. The nearest library is Freeport Public Library, 2.4 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Willow Lake, 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 Willow Lake.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Willow Lake. 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 Prairie Path Water Company-Northern Hill
Prairie Path Water Company-Northern Hill supplies Willow Lake: about 41% of residents live in its service area. About 59% 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 600 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.3 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. IL1775050.
8 home internet providers serve Willow Lake
98% of 494 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 97% | 1,200/35 |
| Frontier | DSL | 70% | 90/5 |
| JCWIFI.com | Fixed wireless | 97% | 200/200 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 85% | 50/10 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 85% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 37% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Willow Lake’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Willow Lake.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Willow Lake is in Freeport School District 145.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Willow Lake is unincorporated, so Stephenson County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Willow Lake is in ZIP code 61032
ZIP codes where Willow Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Willow Lake | ZIP’s residents in Willow Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61032 | Freeport, IL | 100% | 4% |
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 Willow Lake
Who supplies Willow Lake’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Prairie Path Water Company-Northern Hill (EPA ID IL1775050). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Willow Lake?
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Willow Lake?
Xfinity, Frontier, JCWIFI.com, Rise Broadband, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Willow Lake?
61032. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Willow Lake in?
Freeport School District 145.
How do I register to vote in Willow Lake?
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 Stephenson 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.