waterbycounty
Federal water data

County water report

Windsor County Water Report

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

Water grade

F

Water score

37.9

State rank

#9

of 14

Health violations

17

EPA SDWIS, 5-year lookback

Watershed impaired

Not reported

EPA ATTAINS coverage varies by state

Monitoring sites

142

10,636 recent measurements

Live streamflow

106%

WHITE RIVER AT WEST HARTFORD, VT

Water at a glance

Key Water Indicators for Windsor County

EPA SDWIS

Safety Grade

F

Score: 37.9 / 100

EPA SDWIS

Active Violations

17

5-year health-based lookback

EPA ATTAINS

Watershed Health

Not reported

Coverage varies by state

USGS NWIS

Streamflow Snapshot

106% of mean

WHITE RIVER AT WEST HARTFORD, VT

EPA WQP

Monitoring Sites

142

10,636 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.

37.9/100

Health violations

17

Health-based violations

Violations per 100K served

37.6

Population-normalized SDWIS rate

Editorial analysis

Understanding Windsor County’s Water

Drinking Water Quality Overview

EPA SDWIS

Windsor County's water systems carry a failing grade, scoring 37.9 out of 100. Over the past five years, EPA SDWIS records 17 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 2026-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00) puts WHITE RIVER at 1.3k cfs — near its historical average at 106% of mean flow. 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. Windsor County has extensive coverage with 142 active monitoring sites with 10,636 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 Windsor County

Water Verdict

Windsor County, Vermont receives a poor water quality assessment with a grade of F and a score of 37.9 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 690 square miles of upstream watershed, giving local source waters a regional footprint. At the most recent USGS reading, local streamflow was tracking near its historical mean (105.8%).

Violation Context

EPA SDWIS records for Windsor County, Vermont show 17 health-based violations, indicating multiple instances where federal contaminant limits or treatment requirements were not met. At 37.6 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: 10,636 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 Windsor County is rated Grade F, reflecting significant health-based violations in the recent reporting period. Windsor County's drinking-water compliance score is 37.9 out of 100. The violation rate for Windsor County is 37.6 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 142 active water-quality monitoring sites in Windsor County, data coverage is strong. A pipeline streamflow snapshot from the WHITE RIVER gauge is also available on this page.

Regional Context

Windsor County has poorer water quality than the average county in Vermont. Its water score is 7.7 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 Windsor County's water environment

Official EPA Resources for Windsor County

EPA How's My Waterway

Interactive watershed health data for Windsor County

EPA ECHO: Drinking Water Systems

Search water utilities and violation records for Windsor County

Consumer Confidence Reports (VT)

Annual water quality reports from utilities in Vermont

Past 5 years

Water Quality Monitoring

Monitoring Sites

142

Active in the past 5 years

Measurements Recorded

11K

10,636 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

1,320cfs

May 14, 6:30 PM UTC

vs Long-Term Average

106%

Near typical

Primary Streamgage

WHITE RIVER AT WEST HARTFORD, VT

USGS site
01144000
Drainage area
690 sq mi
Long-term mean
1,248 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 Windsor 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.

Try the full calculator →

Improve your water quality at home

Berkey filters remove 99.9%+ of contaminants from tap water.

Shop Berkey →

Sponsored

Test your tap water

Tap Score provides professional mail-in water testing.

Get Tested →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the water quality in Windsor County, Vermont?
Windsor County, Vermont has a drinking-water quality grade of F with a score of 37.9/100, based on EPA SDWIS compliance data. The county has 17 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 Windsor County?
Windsor County has 17 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 Windsor County?
EPA's Water Quality Portal records 10,636 measurements from 142 monitoring sites in Windsor 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 Windsor County right now?
Windsor County's primary USGS streamgage on the WHITE RIVER has a pipeline snapshot of 1,320 cubic feet per second — 106% of the long-term mean of 1,247.74 cfs. Flow is within typical range for this gauge. For the latest gauge feed, visit waterdata.usgs.gov.
How does Windsor County water compare to the Vermont average?
Windsor County's SDWIS water quality score of 37.9/100 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 Windsor County?
Based on EPA SDWIS data, Windsor County has a water quality grade of F (37.9/100). 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 Windsor County have so many water violations?
Windsor County has 17 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 Windsor County rank for water quality in Vermont?
Windsor County ranks #9 out of 14 counties in Vermont by SDWIS water quality score (1 = best). With a score of 37.9/100, 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

Caledonia County

Vermont

F

34.9

Water score

Orange County

Vermont

F

41.3

Water score

Bennington County

Vermont

D

43.6

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

Explore more data for Windsor County

Property TaxCost of LivingCrime RateIncomeHealthSchoolsDisaster RiskWeatherCounty Score