drinking water - water quality monitoring

Act 66, passed in 2019, requires all Vermont school districts, supervisory unions, independent schools, and child care providers to test their drinking and cooking water for lead. If lead is found at or above the action level of 4 parts per billion (ppb), the school or child care provider must immediately take the tap out of service and take corrective action to eliminate or reduce the amount of lead to below the action level.

Vermont's public water systems are regulated under the federal Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and the Vermont Water Supply Rule which refers to it. Visit the Vermont Lead and Copper Rule page for more information about current requirements, or to access forms and templates. Learn about the health impacts from lead pipes in water infrastructure by visiting the Vermont Department of Health page. 

A bottled water system with all sources located outside of Vermont is considered an imported bottled water system and must obtain an Approval to Sell Bottled Water in Vermont prior to the distribution and sale of a bottled water product in the state.

• Process For Managing Microcystin Detections in Raw and Finished Water Samples For Public Surface Water Systems
• Vermont Drinking Water Systems Now Sampling for Blue-Green Algae Toxins   (Press Release: July 2015)

The summer of 2024 marks the tenth year of DWGPD's voluntary cyanotoxin monitoring program for public drinking water systems. This program offers no-cost analysis of raw and finished water for microcystin (a potent liver toxin produced by some species of cyanobacteria) to surface water systems across the state.  Samples are analyzed on a weekly basis from July to early November by the Vermont Agriculture and Environmental Laboratory (VAEL).

Thank you for your patience as we update this page and consolidate data for ease of access.

Disinfection Byproducts and Their Regulation

All public water systems in Vermont must conduct required monitoring of their drinking water in accordance with state and federal regulations. Drinking water monitoring is necessary to ensure that public health is being adequately protected.

Terms to know:

All public water systems must perform water quality monitoring to demonstrate that the water provided to customers is safe to drink. The kinds of samples that are required, the number of samples that are required, and the frequency of collection are based on the water system type, population, treatment, and water quality history.  Water quality monitoring requirements for TNC water systems can be divided into two general categories:  source permitting water quality monitoring and routine water quality monitoring.