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Community Water System · PWS VT0005318

Chester Water Dept

Chester, Vermont 05143 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 3,200 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

3,200
People served
385
EPA violations
4
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 385 drinking-water violations at Chester Water Dept, 1% of them health-based - above the Vermont per-system average.

385
Total EPA violations on record
1%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
3,200
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Chester Water Dept

Chester Water Dept is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 3,200 residents in Chester, Vermont (Windsor County) through 560 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 385 total violations for this system , of which 4 (1%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 366 monitoring and reporting violations are on file. The most recent violation on record dates to 2022.

The most frequently cited contaminant at this system is Coliform (TCR), recorded in 30 violations (MR). 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%).

Chester Water Dept's 385 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
3,200
Total Violations
385
Health-Based Violations
4
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
560
County
Windsor
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
4
Monitoring Violations
366
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 30 2015
Nitrate MR 17 2022
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 14 2017
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 14 2017
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 14 2017
Vinyl chloride MR 14 2017
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 14 2017
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 14 2017
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 14 2017
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 14 2017
Trichloroethylene MR 14 2017
Tetrachloroethylene MR 14 2017
Benzene MR 14 2017
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 14 2019
Xylenes, Total MR 14 2017
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 14 2017
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 14 2017
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 14 2017
CHLOROBENZENE MR 14 2017
Toluene MR 14 2017
Ethylbenzene MR 14 2017
Styrene MR 14 2017
Carbon tetrachloride MR 14 2017
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 14 2017
Radium-228 MR 6 2014
CYANIDE MR 6 2022
Asbestos MR 5 2022
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 4 2007
Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 2021
Coliform (TCR) MCL 4 2007

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 Chester Water Dept.

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 VT0005318 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
2022 Nitrate MR 17 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 1040
2022 CYANIDE MR 6 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 1024
2022 Asbestos MR 5 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 1094
2021 Revised Total Coliform Rule MON 4 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 8000
2019 Consumer Confidence Rule Other 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 7000
2017 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2378
2017 cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2380
2017 p-Dichlorobenzene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2969
2017 Vinyl chloride MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2976
2017 1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2977
2017 trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2979
2017 1,2-Dichloroethane MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2980
2017 1,2-Dichloropropane MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2983
2017 Trichloroethylene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2984
2017 Tetrachloroethylene MR 14 SDWIS / VT0005318 / 2987

How Chester Water Dept Compares

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

Metric Chester Water Dept Vermont avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 385 113.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 4 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 3,200 477 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 Chester Water Dept water safe to drink? ▼
Chester Water Dept (PWS ID: VT0005318) has 385 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 3,200 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Chester Water Dept serve? ▼
Chester Water Dept serves 3,200 people in Chester, Vermont. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 560 service connections.
What type of violations does Chester Water Dept have? ▼
Chester Water Dept has 385 total violations: 4 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 366 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Chester Water Dept water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Chester Water Dept under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Chester Water Dept use? ▼
Chester Water Dept uses Groundwater 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.