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Federal water data

County water report

Orange County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

41.3

State rank

#8

of 14

Health violations

3

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

89

7,658 recent measurements

Live streamflow

134%

CONNECTICUT RIVER AT WELLS RIVER, VT

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Orange County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 41.3 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

3

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

134% of mean

CONNECTICUT RIVER AT WELLS RIVER, VT

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

89

7,658 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.

41.3/100

Health violations

3

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

30.1

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Orange County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Orange County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 41.3 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 3 health-based violations — a small cluster that warrants attention.

River & Streamflow Status

USGS NWIS

USGS NWIS gauge data (as of 2026-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00) puts CONNECTICUT RIVER at 6.8k cfs — flowing above its historical average at 134% 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. Orange County has extensive coverage with 89 active monitoring sites with 7,658 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 Orange County

Water Verdict

Orange County receives a below-average water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 41.3 out of 100. Residents should review their utility's Consumer Confidence Report and may want to consider additional water filtration for drinking.

Violation Context

Orange County has recorded 3 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 30.1 violations per 100,000 people served, this rate is high and signals significant water quality management issues.

Consumer Guidance

Drinking-water compliance in Orange County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Orange County's drinking-water compliance score is 41.3 out of 100. The violation rate for Orange County is 30.1 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 89 active water-quality monitoring sites in Orange County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the CONNECTICUT RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Orange County has water quality close to the average county in Vermont. Its water score is within 4.3 points of the state average, meaning its overall water system performance is broadly representative of Vermont as a whole.

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 Orange County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Orange County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Orange County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Orange County

Consumer Confidence Reports (VT)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Vermont

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

89

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

7.7K

7,658 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

6,800cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

134%

Well above typical

Primary Streamgage

CONNECTICUT RIVER AT WELLS RIVER, VT

USGS site
01138500
Drainage area
2,644 sq mi
Long-term mean
5,086 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

Estimate Your Water Costs

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 Orange County:D — Poor

Elevated violations or significant watershed impairment.

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 Orange County, Vermont?
Orange County, Vermont has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 41.3/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 3 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 Orange County?
Orange County has 3 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 Orange County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 7,658 measurements from 89 monitoring sites in Orange 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 Orange County right now?
Orange County's primary USGS streamgage on the CONNECTICUT RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 6,800 cubic feet per second — 134% of the long-term mean of 5,085.78 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 Orange County water compare to the Vermont average?
Orange County's SDWIS water quality score of 41.3/100 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 Orange County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Orange County has a water quality grade of F (41.3/100). 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).
Does Orange County have clean drinking water?
Orange County has 3 health-based drinking water violations according to EPA records. With a water quality score of 41.3/100 and grade F, the county's drinking water has had some compliance issues but continues to be monitored. Note: drinking-water compliance speaks to the public water system, not necessarily to the watershed itself — check the Watershed Health zone for ATTAINS §303(d) data.
How does Orange County rank for water quality in Vermont?
Orange County ranks #8 out of 14 counties in Vermont by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 41.3/100, 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

Bennington County

Vermont

D

43.6

Water score

Windsor County

Vermont

F

37.9

Water score

Caledonia County

Vermont

F

34.9

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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