Forever Chemicals
Vermont is a small state that has paid outsized attention to its water, so if a move here or your own long-term health has you reading closely, you are in good company. The figures below come from federal monitoring, and the office behind the state's drinking water is the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which moved early on PFAS rather than waiting. Nothing here is a verdict on a single home. It is the public record, set out plainly, and reviewing it is exactly the sort of careful step worth taking when evaluating an address.
EPA's UCMR 5 program (2021–2024) tested 38 public water systems in Vermont for 29 PFAS compounds; 1 reported at least one detection and none exceeded the 2024 federal limit of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (a 3% detection rate). Detections vary by water system — check the utility serving a specific Vermont address.
Vermont's drinking water sits under the Department of Environmental Conservation, the DEC, part of the Agency of Natural Resources, whose drinking-water program administers the standards the state enforces. Vermont is among the states that set their own enforceable PFAS drinking-water limit ahead of the April 2024 federal rule, regulating a group of PFAS compounds together rather than waiting for the federal floor. Residents are covered both by that state action and the federal standards (4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, 10 for PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX) the DEC administers. It is a notably more forward posture than many states keep, run by a named office.
Numbers below come straight from EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024). Every public water system in Vermontserving more than 3,300 people had to test for 29 different PFAS — here's what they reported.
38
Water systems tested
UCMR 5 (2021–2024)
1
Systems with any PFAS detected
3% detection rate
0
Systems exceeding 2024 MCL
Above 4 ppt PFOA/PFOS
1
Distinct PFAS compounds detected
Of 29 monitored under UCMR 5
0
TRI-reporting PFAS facilities
EPA Toxics Release Inventory 2024
1
DoD PFAS installations
Military PFAS contamination sites
Red triangles are military installations the Department of Defense has flagged for PFAS from firefighting foam. Orange dots are industrial facilities that reported PFAS to the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. If your future home sits near a cluster, that's a conversation worth having with the seller or landlord.
These are the Vermontutilities where EPA testing found PFAS the most often or at the highest levels. Being on this list doesn't automatically mean today's tap water is unsafe — some systems have added treatment since these samples were taken — but it means a conversation with the utility is worth having before you move in.
| Water system | Detections | Max value (ng/L) | vs 2024 MCL |
|---|---|---|---|
| BERLIN HEALTH REHABILITATION CTR | 1 | 0 | Below MCL |
PFAS isn't one chemical — it's a family of thousands. Here are the specific compounds EPA picked up most often across Vermont water systems. PFOA and PFOS are the two with the strictest federal limits (4 parts per trillion).
For decades the military trained with AFFF firefighting foam loaded with PFAS. It soaked into soil and groundwater and, in many places, traveled miles. If you're house-hunting near any of these Vermont installations, the address report will tell you exactly how close.
Burlington
Air Force
Looking at a specific Vermontcity? Each page below pulls the same federal data narrowed to that water system — useful whether you're relocating, buying, organizing your neighborhood around getting cleaner water, or just trying to find out what's in the tap and what's around you.
Even in a state that acted early, the numbers below have limits worth naming first. Coverage is the main one: the federal UCMR5 testing covered 29 PFAS compounds in public systems serving more than about 3,300 people, from 2021 through 2024, so private wells were never required to test and many small rural systems fall outside it. Vermont has a lot of well-served, rural households, which means the public-system figures can read calmer than a private well warrants. The DEC offers well-owner guidance and has been more active than most on PFAS testing, which is the right resource for a private well. And a detection from 2022 describes that moment, not necessarily today's tap. The data deserves a careful read, even where the acronyms pile up.
Yes. EPA UCMR 5 monitoring (2021–2024) tested 38 public water systems in Vermont; 1 had at least one PFAS detection. Detections vary by water system — check your specific serving utility.
Vermont is among the states that set their own enforceable PFAS drinking-water limit ahead of the 2024 federal rule, regulating a group of PFAS compounds together at the state level. Residents are covered by both that state action and the federal limits, which set 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) administering the standards.
The DEC runs Vermont's drinking-water program and was among the states acting early on PFAS, setting an enforceable state limit ahead of the federal rule and administering both the state and federal standards across public systems. Its posture has tended to be more forward than the federal default many states follow.
The DEC is the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, part of the Agency of Natural Resources, overseeing programs including drinking water, water quality, and contaminated-site cleanup. It is the office to contact for public-water and well-water questions in Vermont.
Use VetMyAddress to see the PFAS detections reported for the public water system serving any Vermont address, alongside nearby military bases and industrial PFAS sources. The data comes from EPA UCMR 5, EPA TRI, and the DoD PFAS installation report.
In April 2024 the EPA set the first enforceable federal limits for PFAS in drinking water: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt each for PFHxS, PFNA, and HFPO-DA (GenX), plus a Hazard Index for certain mixtures. Public water systems must complete initial monitoring by 2027 and come into compliance after that.
No. The federal limits apply to public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own testing and treatment, which is especially worth doing near a known PFAS source like a military base or industrial site.
State numbers tell you the pattern. An address report tells you what's actually in the water at yourkitchen sink — the matched utility, the PFAS detections on file, and every military or industrial source nearby. Whether it's for your family, your neighbors, or peace of mind.
Data sources: EPA UCMR 5 bulk data · EPA TRI 2024 · DoD PFAS installation report