Residential Drinking Water Testing | Vermont Department of Health

Flood Impacted Wells and Springs

The time period for ordering free flood-related drinking water test kits has ended. You may purchase a test kit from the online webstore.

If you already received a free test kit and need to retest your well/spring after treatment, you can get a free retest kit online or from your local health office.

For questions, call 802-338-4724 or 800-660-9997 (toll-free in Vermont).

Bacteria Test Kit Instructions

Test your drinking water regularly.

It is important to test your private well or spring for contaminants regularly to make sure that it is safe to drink. If you are on public water, the Health Department recommends testing for lead. Learn about testing recommendations for public water

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Recommended Private Drinking Water Testing Schedule

The Health Department recommends testing your water for bacteria, inorganic chemicals and gross alpha radiation. See the table below for more information on these drinking water contaminants.

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The three test kits are called the Vermont Homeowner Testing Package:

Bacteria (Kit A) $14 – test every year
Inorganic chemicals (Kit C) $100 – test every five years
Gross alpha radiation (Kit RA) $45 – test every five years

If you divide this cost over the course of 5 years, it would equal $3.60 per month.

Order the Vermont Homeowner Testing Package by calling:

The Health Department Laboratory at 802-338-4724, or
Another certified drinking water lab.

You can also order a test for an individual contaminant, such as lead. Find out more about testing options at the Health Department Laboratory

Contaminants to Test for in Private Drinking Water

This table gives you an overview of the contaminants that are tested for in the Vermont Homeowner Testing Package, which are the Health Department's recommendations for private drinking water.

Click on the link for each contaminant for more detailed information on health concerns, sources of the contaminant, what your test results mean, and treatment options.

There are other drinking water contaminants you may want to test for. Learn more about other concerns for private drinking water

Contaminant	When to Test	Why You Should Test	Possible Cause(s)
Coliform Bacteria (Kit A)	Every year	Stomachaches, diarrhea, GI (gastrointestinal) diseases	Surface water intrusion, septic leachate, agriculture runoff
Arsenic (Kit C)	Every five years	Increases risk of bladder, lung or skin cancer	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Chloride (Kit C)	Every five years	Chloride may indicate other contaminants are present in the water	Septic leachate, road salt
Copper (flush) (Kit C)	Every five years	Stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage in young children	Leaches from plumbing and fixtures due to corrosive water
Fluoride (Kit C)	Every five years	Fluoride levels above 4 mg/L can cause bone disease. Fluoride levels above 2 mg/L can cause staining or pitting of teeth. Optimal fluoride levels of 0.7 mg/L prevent tooth decay.	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Hardness (Kit C)	Every five years	Causes scale buildup in pipes and fixtures, gray staining of washed clothes	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Iron (Kit C)	Every five years	Unpleasant odors, stains and tastes	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Lead (first draw and flush) (Kit C)	Every five years	Damage to brain, kidneys and nervous system	Leaches from plumbing and fixtures due to corrosive water
Manganese (Kit C)	Every five years	Damage to the nervous system (memory, attention and motor skills) when consumed over a long period of time, infants may develop learning and behavior problems	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Nitrate/Nitrite (Kit C)	Every five years. If present above 5 mg/L: Every 3-6 months	Methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) in infants	Fertilized agricultural fields, septic leachate, compost piles
Sodium (Kit C)	Every five years	Sodium may indicate other contaminants are present in the water, can be harmful to those on limited sodium diets	Septic leachate, road salt, water softeners
Gross Alpha Radiation (Kit RA)	Every five years	Cancer risk	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Uranium (Kit C)	Every five years	Kidney damage	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont

Other Concerns for Private Drinking Water

There are some contaminants in the table below that are not on a recommended schedule for testing by the Health Department, but may be a concern to you.

Click on the link for each contaminant for more detailed information on health concerns, sources of the contaminant, what your test results mean, and treatment options.

Contaminant	How to test	Why You Should Test	Possible Cause(s)
Hydrogen Sulfide (rotten egg smell)	Isolate the source of the smell	Gas in the air can be hazardous at high levels, can indicate sewage or other pollution intrusion in drinking water	Naturally occurring in some soil and rock as a byproduct of decay, produced by sulfur bacteria in the water system, water pollution (in rare cases)
PFAS (including PFOA)	Private labs can test for PFAS	Child development, infertility, increased cancer risk, and interference with hormones, the immune system and cholesterol levels	Chemicals used in industry and commercial products
Radon	Vermont Dept of Health Lab Kit RC (Learn more about testing for radon in air)	Stomach cancer, lung cancer	Naturally occurring in some bedrock and soils in Vermont
Organic Chemicals (volatile, synthetic, pesticides)	Vermont Dept of Health Lab Kit OL or Kit OA	Cancer, cardiovascular problems, reproductive issues, liver problems	Chemicals from human activities including agriculture, chemical spills, manufacturing sites

Information for Real Estate Transactions and Rental Properties

Real estate transactions and private water sources

If you are selling your home and you are not on a public water system, then you are required to give the buyer a copy of Well Water Testing: A Home Buyer’s Guide, which is also available in languages other than English.

When buying or selling a home with a private drinking water source, it is important to have the water tested. As a home buyer, you will know your water will be safe to drink, and as a seller, you can avoid delays and problems with selling your home.

The best time to have the water tested is before a home goes on the market. It will give you a heads up on potential issues with the water, and allows time to treat the water before the sale.

Real estate agents can help buyers and sellers get the information they need to make sure a home’s private water source is safe. If results show the water is free from contaminants, that can be an added bonus for sellers and peace of mind for the buyers.

Some mortgage companies require a basic potability test that only tests for bacteria. These tests do not meet the Health Department’s definition of potability. Certain types of mortgages such as a VA or FHA loan will have stricter requirements on testing. Please contact your mortgage company to ask about the tests they require.

To meet the requirements of the Health Department’s definition of potable water, test the water using all three test kits in the Vermont Homeowner Testing Package. It can take a few weeks to get test results back. If any result comes back high, find out what treatment options are available.

Rental properties and private water sources

Under Vermont’s Rental Housing Health Code, private drinking water provided to tenants must be free from harmful levels of contaminants. This means that state law requires the water to be tested and treated if contaminants are found above the Health Department’s drinking water standards.

If you are a landlord:

Test the private water source provided to your tenants following the Health Department’s recommended private drinking water testing schedule.
If high levels of contaminants are found, find out what treatment options are available.

If you are a renter:

Test your drinking water by either asking your landlord to do it, or ordering the test kits yourself.
If you are concerned about your private drinking water quality and are unable to ask your landlord to test your water, contact the Division of Fire Safety or your Town Health Officer for help.

More Information