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Community Water System · PWS VT0005126

Richford Water System

Richford, Vermont 05476 - drinking water served from surface water sources to 3,000 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

3,000
People served
317
EPA violations
35
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 317 drinking-water violations at Richford Water System, 11% of them health-based - above the Vermont per-system average.

317
Total EPA violations on record
11%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
3,000
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Richford Water System

Richford Water System is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 3,000 residents in Richford, Vermont (Franklin County) through 771 service connections. Its water is drawn from surface water sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 317 total violations for this system , of which 35 (11%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 247 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2025.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5), recorded in 34 violations (MCL, health-based). This system has not yet been sampled under EPA's UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program, so no PFAS detection data is available here.

Across Vermont, EPA tracks 1,357 public water systems serving 646,999 people, with 153,729 cumulative violations and 16,917 health-based violations on record. About 93% of systems in the state carry at least one violation, and state-wide the average per system is 113.3 violations. Statewide, 3 of 37 UCMR5-tested systems have reported PFAS detections (8.1%).

Richford Water System's 317 violations sit above the Vermont average.

All figures above are sourced directly from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 public data releases and are updated as EPA publishes new reporting cycles.

Population Served
3,000
Total Violations
317
Health-Based Violations
35
Water Source
Surface Water

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
771
County
Franklin
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
34
Monitoring Violations
247
Treatment Tech Violations
1

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 34 2018
Coliform (TCR) MR 11 1997
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 10 2025
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 2011
Xylenes, Total MR 10 2011
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2011
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 10 2011
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 2011
Trichloroethylene MR 10 2011
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 2011
CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 2011
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 2011
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2011
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2011
Carbon tetrachloride MR 10 2011
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 10 2011
Tetrachloroethylene MR 10 2011
Benzene MR 10 2011
Ethylbenzene MR 10 2011
Styrene MR 10 2011
Toluene MR 10 2011
Vinyl chloride MR 10 2011
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 2011
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 2011
Radium-226 MR 6 2015
Radium-228 MR 6 2015
TTHM MR 5 2009
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 4 2007
Chlorine MR 2 2009
Surface Water Treatment Rule MR 2 1990

Verify This Water System

The figures above are aggregated from EPA's public databases. To verify the underlying records, or to file a complaint, request a Consumer Confidence Report, or check current monitoring status, go directly to the federal and state regulators that enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act for Richford Water System.

Federal Source of Truth

EPA SDWIS, Federal Reports

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) holds the federal compliance record for every regulated public water system. Open the system-level report by PWS ID:

View PWS ID VT0005126 on SDWIS

Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Reports Search

State Regulator

Vermont Drinking Water Authority

Vermont's primacy agency administers the Safe Drinking Water Act locally. Search EPA SDWIS for the current state contact, or use the state's public health or environment department portal.

Find VT regulator via EPA SDWIS

Violation Timeline

Each row links to the EPA SDWIS public record for verification. Cross-reference the contaminant code on EPA's federal report to see violation dates, return-to-compliance status, and enforcement actions.

Year (latest) Contaminant Category Count EPA Record
2025 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 7000
2018 Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) MCL 34 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2456
2015 Radium-226 MR 6 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 4020
2015 Radium-228 MR 6 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 4030
2011 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2378
2011 Xylenes, Total MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2955
2011 o-Dichlorobenzene MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2968
2011 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2980
2011 1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2981
2011 Trichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2984
2011 1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2985
2011 CHLOROBENZENE MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2989
2011 DICHLOROMETHANE MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2964
2011 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2977
2011 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 10 SDWIS / VT0005126 / 2979

How Richford Water System Compares

Cross-reference this system's record against state averages and the federal MCL framework for context.

Metric Richford Water System Vermont avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 317 113.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 35 12.5 Indicates a contaminant exceeded a federal MCL
PFAS detection None 8.1% EPA final rule (2024): PFOA/PFOS MCL = 4.0 ppt
Population served 3,000 477 Sizing context for compliance burden

Sources: EPA SDWIS and EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part 141). State averages computed across 1,357 regulated public water systems in Vermont.

Federal MCL reference, Safe Drinking Water Act thresholds ▼
Contaminant Federal MCL / Action Level Note
Lead 0 mg/L (Action Level: 0.015 mg/L) Lead and Copper Rule treatment technique
Arsenic 0.010 mg/L (10 ppb) Health-based MCL since 2006
Total Coliform Treatment technique (RTCR) Indicator organism, monitoring trigger
PFOA / PFOS (PFAS) 4.0 ppt each (final 2024 rule) Compliance deadline 2029 (EPA proposed extending to 2031, not yet final as of May 2026)
Nitrate (as N) 10 mg/L Acute health risk for infants

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Richford Water System water safe to drink? ▼
Richford Water System (PWS ID: VT0005126) has 317 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 3,000 people using Surface Water sources.
How many people does Richford Water System serve? ▼
Richford Water System serves 3,000 people in Richford, Vermont. It is a Local-owned system using Surface Water water sources with 771 service connections.
What type of violations does Richford Water System have? ▼
Richford Water System has 317 total violations: 35 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 247 monitoring/reporting violations, and 1 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Richford Water System water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Richford Water System under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Richford Water System use? ▼
Richford Water System uses Surface Water as its primary water source. It is classified as a Community Water System (CWS), serving residential populations year-round.
Where does this data come from? ▼
All data comes from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and the UCMR5 PFAS monitoring program. SDWIS tracks compliance for all public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Data Sources: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), Q4 2025. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from EPA SDWIS and UCMR5 PFAS monitoring data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainWater Editorial

Every figure on PlainWater is rendered directly from EPA SDWIS drinking-water data, no number is typed in by an editor. This system's figures are rendered directly from EPA SDWIS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.