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Community Water System · PWS VT0020734

Pownal Fire District 2

Pownal, Vermont 05261 - drinking water served from groundwater sources to 682 people, tracked in EPA SDWIS and UCMR5.

682
People served
456
EPA violations
7
Health-based
Untested
UCMR5 result

The verdict

EPA records 456 drinking-water violations at Pownal Fire District 2, 2% of them health-based - above the Vermont per-system average.

456
Total EPA violations on record
2%
Health-based (MCL / treatment failure)
682
People served by this system
N/A
PFAS compounds detected (UCMR5)

Water Quality Snapshot: Pownal Fire District 2

Pownal Fire District 2 is a local-owned community water system that delivers drinking water to 682 residents in Pownal, Vermont (Bennington County) through 200 service connections. Its water is drawn from groundwater sources. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System records 456 total violations for this system , of which 7 (2%) are health-based, meaning a contaminant exceeded an EPA Maximum Contaminant Level or a required treatment technique failed. A further 422 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 Coliform (TCR), recorded in 22 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%).

Pownal Fire District 2's 456 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
682
Total Violations
456
Health-Based Violations
7
Water Source
Groundwater

System Details

System Type
Community
Owner Type
Local
Connections
200
County
Bennington
School/Daycare
No
MCL Violations
7
Monitoring Violations
422
Treatment Tech Violations
0

Violation History

Contaminant violations recorded by EPA.

Contaminant Category Count Latest
Coliform (TCR) MR 22 2015
Consumer Confidence Rule Other 9 2025
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 1999
o-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 1999
Vinyl chloride MR 8 1999
trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene MR 8 1999
1,2-Dichloroethane MR 8 1999
Carbon tetrachloride MR 8 1999
1,2-Dichloropropane MR 8 1999
Trichloroethylene MR 8 1999
CHLOROBENZENE MR 8 1999
Benzene MR 8 1999
1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene MR 8 1999
1,1,1-Trichloroethane MR 8 1999
Toluene MR 8 1999
Ethylbenzene MR 8 1999
Styrene MR 8 1999
1,1-Dichloroethylene MR 8 1999
Tetrachloroethylene MR 8 1999
p-Dichlorobenzene MR 8 1999
Xylenes, Total MR 8 1999
DICHLOROMETHANE MR 8 1999
1,1,2-Trichloroethane MR 8 1999
Coliform (TCR) MCL 7 2015
Gross Alpha, Excl. Radon and U MR 6 2012
Fluoride MR 6 2012
Barium MR 6 2012
Chromium MR 6 2012
Mercury MR 6 2012
Nickel MR 6 2012

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 Pownal Fire District 2.

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 VT0020734 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 9 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 7000
2019 BHC-GAMMA MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2010
2019 Methoxychlor MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2015
2019 Toxaphene MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2020
2019 Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2035
2019 OXAMYL MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2036
2019 Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2039
2019 Picloram MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2040
2019 Dinoseb MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2041
2019 LASSO MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2051
2019 2,4,5-TP MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2110
2019 Benzo(a)pyrene MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2306
2019 Pentachlorophenol MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2326
2019 Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2383
2019 ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE MR 6 SDWIS / VT0020734 / 2946

How Pownal Fire District 2 Compares

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

Metric Pownal Fire District 2 Vermont avg Federal benchmark
Total violations 456 113.3 SDWA compliance, any non-zero count is a recorded breach
Health-based violations 7 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 682 477 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 Pownal Fire District 2 water safe to drink? ▼
Pownal Fire District 2 (PWS ID: VT0020734) has 456 recorded violations in the EPA SDWIS database. No PFAS contamination was detected in UCMR5 testing. This system serves 682 people using Groundwater sources.
How many people does Pownal Fire District 2 serve? ▼
Pownal Fire District 2 serves 682 people in Pownal, Vermont. It is a Local-owned system using Groundwater water sources with 200 service connections.
What type of violations does Pownal Fire District 2 have? ▼
Pownal Fire District 2 has 456 total violations: 7 health-based violations (MCL exceedances or treatment failures), 422 monitoring/reporting violations, and 0 treatment technique violations. Health-based violations indicate contaminant levels exceeded EPA safe limits.
Has PFAS been detected in Pownal Fire District 2 water? ▼
No PFAS testing data is available for Pownal Fire District 2 under the EPA's UCMR5 monitoring program.
What water source does Pownal Fire District 2 use? ▼
Pownal Fire District 2 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.