WW Permit- Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Need a Wastewater & Potable Water Permit?
Situations Where You May Need a Permit
wastewater systems & potable water supplies
Compliance- Frequently Asked Questions
General Compliance Questions:
May I make alterations to my wastewater system?
Archived Innovative Alternative Approvals
Below find links to archived Innovative and Alternative Approvals
I/A Treatment Technology Approvals for General Use with Low Strength Wastewater Effluent
AdvanTex® AX and AX-Max
Innovative and Alternative Approved Wastewater Technology
Below are several tables of information related to approved systems and products for innovative/alternative wastewater disposal practices.
Technology Approvals that are struck through have not yet met the requirements of their approval conditions. A WW Permit may not be issued until approval conditions have been met.
Village Wastewater Solutions Initiative
Villages form the heart of Vermont’s rural communities, but more than 200 villages lack community sewer systems, hampering revitalization. To overcome this challenge, Vermont has formed an interagency Village Wastewater Initiative Committee (VWIC) led by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The committee meets biweekly to discuss progress of the villages, development of tools and resources, and coordination between funders and service providers.
Designer Licensing
Designers of water supply and wastewater treatment systems regulated under the Environmental Protection Rules, Chapter 1, Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules (WWR), are described in Subchapter 7 - Designer Licensing.
The Agency of Natural Resources will continue to administer the exams, while The VT Secretary of State is now administering all licenses.
Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules
September 29, 2007
(a) These Rules apply to the subdivision of land, the construction, modification or change
in use of a building or structure, the creation or modification of a campground, and
the construction, modification, replacement and operation of their associated potable
water supplies and wastewater disposal systems.
(b) These Rules regulate soil-based disposal systems with design flows of less than 6500
gallons per day and sewerage connections of any size.
(c) These Rules regulate potable water supplies that are not subject to regulation under
the Vermont Water Supply Rule as public water supplies.
in use of a building or structure, the creation or modification of a campground, and
the construction, modification, replacement and operation of their associated potable
water supplies and wastewater disposal systems.
(b) These Rules regulate soil-based disposal systems with design flows of less than 6500
gallons per day and sewerage connections of any size.
(c) These Rules regulate potable water supplies that are not subject to regulation under
the Vermont Water Supply Rule as public water supplies.
Vermont Water Supply Rule
February 24, 2024
This rule is intended to serve a number of purposes.
First, and most important, the rule's primary purpose is to regulate water systems in the state so
that they provide clean and safe drinking water to Vermont's citizens. This is true for the
smallest, single house source to the state's largest system. The rule also establishes well
construction standards (contained in Part 12 of Appendix A) which apply to every constructed
well in Vermont regardless of the type of facility it serves.
Second, by implementing this rule, Vermont qualifies to retain "primacy" for the Safe Drinking
Water Act from the federal US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Primacy means that
the state will administer the federal regulations that apply to all public water systems in the
country, instead of EPA. Without state regulations that are at least as strict as the federal ones,
Vermont may not administer the federal regulations.
We think having primacy represents an advantage to Vermont's water systems. The federal
regulations contain some optional provisions that permit exceptions to the regulations when
mitigating factors make it difficult or impossible to follow the regulation. Also, there are
situations where interpretations of the federal regulations can be made by states with primacy
that provide some benefit to the public water systems. EPA has stated that, in the event that they
have to administer their own rules in a state without primacy, they will not have the resources to
provide most of these permitted exceptions to the regulations.
Third, this document contains all of the state's major regulations concerning water systems in a
single document, which, in spite of its size, makes it easier for both the regulators and the
regulated community to carry out their respective roles. The Agency will bind the various parts
of the rule (discussed below) into smaller packages that make sense for the intended recipient.
First, and most important, the rule's primary purpose is to regulate water systems in the state so
that they provide clean and safe drinking water to Vermont's citizens. This is true for the
smallest, single house source to the state's largest system. The rule also establishes well
construction standards (contained in Part 12 of Appendix A) which apply to every constructed
well in Vermont regardless of the type of facility it serves.
Second, by implementing this rule, Vermont qualifies to retain "primacy" for the Safe Drinking
Water Act from the federal US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Primacy means that
the state will administer the federal regulations that apply to all public water systems in the
country, instead of EPA. Without state regulations that are at least as strict as the federal ones,
Vermont may not administer the federal regulations.
We think having primacy represents an advantage to Vermont's water systems. The federal
regulations contain some optional provisions that permit exceptions to the regulations when
mitigating factors make it difficult or impossible to follow the regulation. Also, there are
situations where interpretations of the federal regulations can be made by states with primacy
that provide some benefit to the public water systems. EPA has stated that, in the event that they
have to administer their own rules in a state without primacy, they will not have the resources to
provide most of these permitted exceptions to the regulations.
Third, this document contains all of the state's major regulations concerning water systems in a
single document, which, in spite of its size, makes it easier for both the regulators and the
regulated community to carry out their respective roles. The Agency will bind the various parts
of the rule (discussed below) into smaller packages that make sense for the intended recipient.