Drought and Your Well

What to do if you think you’re running out of water

If you notice any signs (listed below), we recommend addressing them immediately. We can help answer your questions and suggest some temporary solutions. Call us at 802-489-7339.

• Because droughts can affect water quality in various ways, you may need to test your water if you notice changes, like cloudiness, color or smell.
  • During a drought, the water level in your well or spring will drop, which can stir up sediments, force water to be drawn from different pockets of groundwater, and increase the risk of contamination from bacteria or animals desperately seeking water.
• Until testing shows your water is safe, you can use temporary safe sources of water for drinking and cooking and continue to use the water from your home for bathing, washing clothes, cleaning and flushing toilets.

• If your well needs work, you will need to hire a licensed well driller to find out what your options are. Find a licensed well driller

  • Some well drillers are booked out for several weeks. However, many companies travel statewide and will prioritize emergencies, so we recommend calling multiple companies to see if they're available.

Signs you might be running out of water

You most likely won’t know the water level in your well. However, you can tell if your well is failing or starting to run dry if you notice one or more of these signs: 

• There is drop in water pressure.
• You see air bubbles in your water.
• Your water is cloudy, looks “dirty” or has sediment in it.
• Your water pump circuit breaker trips.
• You have no water.

What to do if you are out of water 

If your well pump is on its own circuit breaker, make sure to turn it off. Well pumps use water in the well to cool them. If the well pump is used when the well is dry, it can burn out, which means you would have to replace it.

Find temporary safe sources of water

• Fill food-safe containers with water from a known safe source that is from a tested water supply, like:
  • A neighbor’s or family member’s home,
  • Your town library, town hall, fire department, school, church or town office (with permission from the building owner or water supplier), or
  • Contact your local emergency management director to help you find a source.
• Buy water from a bulk water hauler and fill up a water tank.
  • Find a list of bulk water haulers or search the internet for "bulk water haulers Vermont."
  • Some bulk water haulers are booked out for several weeks. We recommend calling several haulers to see if they are available.
  • Make sure the water hauler only uses the equipment for potable drinking water, that the water comes from a regulated Public Community Water System, and that they test the water for adequate disinfectant levels.
  • Do not fill wells or spring boxes with water delivered by a water hauler. This is because it could seep into the surrounding soils and bedrock before you can use it. It can also damage your well or contaminate the groundwater for your home and nearby homes.
• Buy bottled water.
• Use caution if using water from roadside springs.

Here are some other things to consider to make sure the temporary water supply is safe to drink:

• Do not share water between homes by interconnecting two homes’ plumbing systems. Backflow pressure may cause bacteria to travel from one home into the other home.
• Do not use water from a garden hose for drinking or cooking, since it may have bacteria or other contaminants (like lead) in it. Hose water may be used for bathing, washing clothes, cleaning and flushing toilets.
  • A potable water hose (the kind used for filling up drinking water tanks on boats or RVs) is safe to use.

Other options

• Hire a licensed well driller to make well improvements, like lowering pumps, deepening existing wells, or drilling new wells.
• Shower at a gym, school or workplace. You can also reach out to your local emergency management director to help you find a place to shower.

Use caution if using water from roadside springs

Roadside springs are not considered a safe source of water for drinking and cooking (or other ways of swallowing water). 

They are not tested and are frequently contaminated with bacteria or other germs that can make you very sick. Roadside springs are susceptible to contamination from land uses above them (for example, manure spreading, mining, or dumping of chemicals) and from insects and animals. In fact, a recent Giardia outbreak in New Hampshire is linked to a roadside spring.

However, if your well or spring has run dry and you have no other safe water source, roadside springs may offer a temporary solution.  

• It is okay to use water from roadside springs for bathing, washing clothes, and flushing toilets.
• Collect and store spring water in separate containers from your drinking water to prevent contamination.
• Boil water for one minute before using it for drinking, cooking, washing fruits and vegetables, brushing teeth, and making ice cubes, and concentrated juices. Boiling will kill any germs that are in the water, but will not get rid of other contaminants.
  • Note that even after boiling there could be health risks, especially for infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

If you have symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, call your health care provider if they become severe.

Possible improvements to your well

Here are some things a licensed well driller may do:

• Lower the pump or pump intake.
• Deepen the existing well.
• Hydro-fracture the existing bedrock well to increase the water supply.
• Drill a new well, especially if you are on a spring.

If you have work done on your well or water system: 

• Keep records of the work.
• Disinfect your well after completing any work on the water system. Then test your water for bacteria after shock chlorination.  
  • Please note that shock chlorination uses a lot of water, so it may be best to wait to disinfect your water supply until drought conditions improve.
  • If bacteria are detected in your water, use a known safe water source for drinking and cooking. You can still use your water for bathing, washing clothes, flushing toilets until disinfection is possible. 

Find a licensed well driller

Water conservation tips

There are some ways to use less water, which can help to keep your well or spring from failing or running dry. If your well has run dry, you can still use some of these conservation tips for your temporary water supply.

• Check for and fix any leaks.
• Take shorter showers.
• Match the water level to the size of the load of laundry.
• Run the dishwasher with full loads only.
• Turn the water off when brushing teeth, washing hands and doing dishes.

• Install low-flow faucet aerators, showerheads and toilets and install water-efficient washing machines and dishwashers. Look for the WaterSense label

• Cut back on — or cut out — outdoor water use, such as watering your lawn, garden or landscaping, or washing your car.
• Use a bucket of water to flush toilets.
  • Quickly dump about 1 to 2 gallons of water into the toilet bowl all at once, and the toilet will flush.
  • Use water from roadside springs or greywater (wastewater from bathroom sinks, bathtubs, showers and clothes washing machines).
  • Collect water in a bucket while you are waiting for the shower to warm up or fill up a bucket to rinse your dishes, then use the rinse water for flushing.

Find more water conservation tips

Financial assistance

Funding may be available to help you pay for water treatment or to fix your water system. Please note that there are eligibility requirements that may not apply to your situation. Learn more about financial assistance programs and eligibility.

What to do once your water has returned

When and how your water returns will depend on many factors like how your well or spring is built, local groundwater conditions and the weather.

When your water returns, it may look cloudy, dirty or discolored. Use a known safe source for drinking and cooking water until you test your water at a certified drinking water lab. You can use untested well or spring water for flushing toilets, bathing and laundry.  

Cloudy or discolored water should clear up as you use it regularly. If it stays cloudy or has air bubbles, your water level may still be low or there may be air trapped in the system.

After your water comes back, follow these steps: