Posted inStatewide Investigations

E. coli found in drinking water of Southern Illinois city that floods with sewage

The findings contradict test results from the city’s two water providers

by Lexi Cortes, Janelle O'Dea and Lacretia Wimbley March 9, 2026March 11, 2026

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E. coli found in drinking water of Southern Illinois city that floods with sewage

by Lexi Cortes, Janelle O'Dea and Lacretia Wimbley, Illinois Answers Project
March 9, 2026

<h1>E. coli found in drinking water of Southern Illinois city that floods with sewage</h1>
<p class="byline">by Lexi Cortes, Janelle O'Dea and Lacretia Wimbley, Illinois Answers Project <br />March 9, 2026</p>
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Standing in front of her home for the past 32 years, Yvette Lyles reflects on new findings from community-organized testing that found E. coli in the drinking water in Cahokia Heights. Testing participants, including Lyles, collected water samples from their kitchen sinks over seven months. Credit: Joshua Carter Belleville News-Democrat

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Tagged: Cahokia Heights, sewage

Janelle O'DeaState Investigative Reporter

jodea@bettergov.org

Janelle O’Dea is based in St. Louis as an investigative reporter with the Illinois Answers Project State Investigations Team. Her beat covers Southern Illinois and the Metro East. Before joining the Illinois Answers Project, she worked in Colorado, Florida, at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and at the Center for Public Integrity. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and grew up in central Illinois.

More by Janelle O'Dea