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County water report

Caledonia County Water Report

Drinking-water compliance, watershed health, monitoring records, and river conditions for Caledonia County, Vermont.

Water grade

F

Water score

34.9

State rank

#10

of 14

Health violations

7

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

81

11,090 recent measurements

Live streamflow

146%

PASSUMPSIC RIVER AT PASSUMPSIC, VT

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Caledonia County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 34.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

7

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

146% of mean

PASSUMPSIC RIVER AT PASSUMPSIC, VT

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

81

11,090 recent readings

Source: EPA SDWIS · Safe Drinking Water Information System

Drinking Water Compliance

Compliance grade

F

Based on EPA SDWIS compliance history.

Water score

Higher scores indicate cleaner recent compliance records.

34.9/100

Health violations

7

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

47.2

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Caledonia County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Caledonia County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 34.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 7 health-based violations — a pattern that public water utilities are required to disclose and correct.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:15:00.000-04:00) puts PASSUMPSIC RIVER at 1.1k cfs — flowing above its historical average at 146% of mean. Streamflow is a leading indicator of drought stress, sediment load, and dilution capacity: low flows concentrate pollutants and warm water temperatures, stressing aquatic life and, in surface-water-dependent systems, the source water quality for treatment plants.

Monitoring Network

EPA WQP

EPA's Water Quality Portal (WQP) aggregates monitoring data from federal, state, and tribal agencies. Caledonia County has extensive coverage with 81 active monitoring sites with 11,090 recent measurements on record. Predominant monitoring categories include physical and nutrient. More monitoring sites generally indicate greater scientific attention to local water conditions — and provide the baseline data that regulators use to set future impairment listings.

Editorial advisory

What the data suggests for Caledonia County

Water Verdict

Caledonia County, Vermont receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 34.9 out of 100. The water supply has documented quality issues. Residents are strongly encouraged to use filtered or bottled water for drinking and to stay informed about utility improvement plans. The county's primary USGS gauge drains roughly 436 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was running above its historical mean at 145.8%.

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Caledonia County, Vermont show 7 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 47.2 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues. This compliance record sits alongside an unusually deep monitoring archive: 11,090 water-quality results have been logged across the county in the EPA Water Quality Portal over the past five years.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Caledonia County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Caledonia County's drinking-water compliance score is 34.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Caledonia County is 47.2 per 100,000 people served. An NSF 53 or NSF 58-certified filter is recommended for drinking and cooking water. Check the Consumer Confidence Report from your utility to identify the specific contaminants and required corrective actions — utilities are legally required to notify customers of violations. With 81 active water-quality monitoring sites in Caledonia County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the PASSUMPSIC RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Caledonia County has poorer water quality than the average county in Vermont. Its water score is 10.7 points lower than the state average, suggesting more challenges with contamination control or infrastructure than neighboring counties.

Advisory text summarizes county-level public records and is not a replacement for your utility's current Consumer Confidence Report or direct local notices.

Contaminants & Resources

Key issues flagged in Caledonia County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Caledonia County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Caledonia County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Caledonia County

Consumer Confidence Reports (VT)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Vermont

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

81

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

11K

11,090 total readings

Most Measured

  • Physical
  • Nutrient
  • Inorganics, Minor, Metals

Categories measured most frequently

Data from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), aggregating monitoring records from federal, state, and tribal sources. Each measurement represents a single sample analyzed for a specific characteristic (e.g., E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen).

Live USGS Streamgage

River & Stream Conditions

Current Discharge

1,140cfs

May 14, 6:15 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

146%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

PASSUMPSIC RIVER AT PASSUMPSIC, VT

USGS site
01135500
Drainage area
436 sq mi
Long-term mean
782 cfs

One representative streamgage (the one with the largest drainage area in the county). Many counties have multiple gauges; this view summarizes the primary one. The long-term mean is the full-record annual average; the percent-of-typical value compares the latest reading against that average.

Free tool

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Water Cost Estimate

3

3 people  ·  ~225 gal/day

Annual Total

$558

Monthly

$47

Water Bill

$558/yr

Filter Cost

$0/yr

Safety Grade for Caledonia County:F — Failing

High violation count or severe watershed conditions.

Estimates use the national average residential water rate ($0.0068/gal, EPA/AWWA 2023) and EPA WaterSense per-person consumption baseline (75 gal/person/day). Actual bills vary by utility, usage tier, and local infrastructure fees. For informational purposes only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Caledonia County, Vermont?
Caledonia County, Vermont has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 34.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 7 health-based drinking water violations over the past 5 years. Watershed health, monitoring records, and streamflow snapshots are reported separately on this page.
Are there any water violations in Caledonia County?
Caledonia County has 7 health-based drinking water violations recorded by the EPA over the past 5 years. Health-based violations indicate instances where contaminant levels exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). Violations may have been resolved — check with your local water utility for current status.
How much water-quality monitoring happens in Caledonia County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 11,090 measurements from 81 monitoring sites in Caledonia County over the past five years. The most frequently measured characteristic groups are Physical, Nutrient, Inorganics, Minor, Metals. Each measurement is a single sample analyzed for one characteristic (E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.). High monitoring density means more scientific evidence behind any reported signal — it does not by itself indicate water quality.
What's happening with rivers in Caledonia County right now?
Caledonia County's primary USGS streamgage on the PASSUMPSIC RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 1,140 cubic feet per second — 146% of the long-term mean of 781.85 cfs. This is well above typical — often a signal of recent precipitation or storm runoff. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Caledonia County water compare to the Vermont average?
Caledonia County's SDWIS water quality score of 34.9/100 is lower than the Vermont state average of 45.6. The average water quality grade across Vermont is D, based on data from 14 counties with available SDWIS data.
Is tap water safe to drink in Caledonia County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Caledonia County has a water quality grade of F (34.9/100). This indicates below-average compliance with significant violations. Residents may want to consider home water filtration or independent testing. The grade speaks to the public water system, not the watershed — for watershed-level concerns, see the Watershed Health zone. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local water utility or review your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
Why does Caledonia County have so many water violations?
Caledonia County has 7 health-based drinking water violations on record from the EPA SDWIS database. A higher violation count can result from aging infrastructure, underfunded water utilities, agricultural runoff contamination, or industrial pollution. Counties with more water systems may also see more violations simply due to scale. Residents concerned about water quality should consider independent water testing and home filtration systems.
How does Caledonia County rank for water quality in Vermont?
Caledonia County ranks #10 out of 14 counties in Vermont by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 34.9/100, it falls in the middle third of counties statewide. The ranking reflects EPA SDWIS compliance only — not watershed impairment, monitoring density, or streamflow, which are tracked separately on this page.

Counties with Similar Water Quality

Windsor County

Vermont

F

37.9

Water score

Orange County

Vermont

F

41.3

Water score

Rutland County

Vermont

F

27.0

Water score

Data Sources

Drinking-water compliance data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) via the ECHO enforcement database. Scores reflect compliance history and health-based violation counts.

Water-quality monitoring counts from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP), federated USGS, EPA, and state agency sampling records over a rolling 5-year window.

Live streamflow from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), continuous discharge measurements from the largest-drainage gauge in each county, compared against the full-record long-term annual mean.

Disclaimer: This data is informational only. It is not health, legal, or professional advice. For concerns about your specific water supply, contact your local water utility.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

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