Arsenic in Vermont well water
In Vermont, 3% of 22,062 private wells tested had arsenic above the Vermont limit (10 ug/L), according to the Vermont Department of Health.
Arsenic occurs naturally in New England bedrock and dissolves into well water. Long-term exposure raises the risk of bladder, lung and skin cancers, and is linked to heart disease and lower IQ in children. It has no taste or smell, so testing is the only way to know.
Check your arsenic number
Type the value from your lab report. It is compared to the Vermont limit and the EPA limit, the same way the full interpretation does it.
Test your Vermont well for arsenic
Certified lab analysis of your own tap water, bottles and prepaid return shipping included. The Essential well panel covers arsenic, uranium, nitrate, lead, copper, manganese, iron, sodium and bacteria; radon and PFAS are add-ons.
Order the Tap Score well water test kit, from $209Already tested? Upload the report
Affiliate links: the merchant pays us a commission and the price is the same for you. It does not change what the data above says.
Systems that remove arsenic
Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
Some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through one, the merchant pays us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change which products we list or what the data says.
For arsenic
Under-sink reverse osmosis system
under-sink or countertop, about $300
Look for NSF/ANSI 58 certification listing the contaminant you need removed.
For arsenic
Whole-house arsenic and uranium filter
whole-house, at the point of entry, about $2,500
Adsorptive iron-based media; sized to your well yield.
For arsenic
Aquasana SmartFlow reverse osmosis
under-sink or countertop, about $225
Certified to NSF/ANSI 58 and 53 to reduce arsenic (96%, pentavalent), fluoride (90%), lead (99%), nitrate, nitrite and PFOA/PFOS at the kitchen tap, with a remineralizer.
Rather have it installed and sized for your well? Book a free in-home water test with a licensed local company.
Where to get a well tested for arsenic in Vermont: certified labs, state programs and prices.
By county, from homeowner tests
Share of private wells above the state guidance level (10 ug/L) in tests homeowners sent to the state lab, to .
| County | Above state level | Wells tested | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutland | 1,551 | 173 ug/L | |
| Chittenden | 4,475 | 194 ug/L | |
| Orleans | 1,050 | 103 ug/L | |
| Lamoille | 1,625 | 434 ug/L | |
| Orange | 1,218 | 135 ug/L | |
| Franklin | 2,017 | 116 ug/L | |
| Bennington | 856 | 43 ug/L | |
| Addison | 1,835 | 72 ug/L | |
| Windham | 1,184 | 262 ug/L | |
| Caledonia | 1,061 | 26 ug/L | |
| Washington | 2,760 | 344 ug/L | |
| Windsor | 1,961 | 103 ug/L | |
| Grand Isle | 349 | 9 ug/L | |
| Essex | 120 | 6 ug/L |
Towns with the highest share above the state level
- Wells, Rutland County48% of 187 wells
- Poultney, Rutland County25% of 118 wells
- Castleton, Rutland County23% of 213 wells
- Fairlee, Orange County21% of 58 wells
- Waterford, Caledonia County14% of 84 wells
- Pawlet, Rutland County14% of 110 wells
- Hubbardton, Rutland County13% of 62 wells
- Newport, Orleans County13% of 71 wells
- Williston, Chittenden County13% of 368 wells
- Westford, Chittenden County12% of 218 wells
- Irasburg, Orleans County12% of 34 wells
- Thetford, Orange County10% of 193 wells
- Craftsbury, Orleans County10% of 112 wells
- St. George, Chittenden County9% of 97 wells
- Rupert, Bennington County9% of 54 wells
- Hinesburg, Chittenden County9% of 415 wells
- Troy, Orleans County8% of 62 wells
- Springfield, Windsor County8% of 76 wells
- Coventry, Orleans County8% of 66 wells
- Essex, Chittenden County7% of 309 wells
- Morristown, Lamoille County7% of 271 wells
- Lowell, Orleans County7% of 31 wells
- Fairfax, Franklin County6% of 365 wells
- Highgate, Franklin County6% of 174 wells
- Putney, Windham County6% of 84 wells
Sources
- Vermont Tracking private well summaries: Town summaries of private well tests reported to the Vermont Department of Health, published through Vermont Environmental Public Health Tracking. Shares are against the limit Vermont applies to each analyte: arsenic 10 ug/L, uranium 20 ug/L (stricter than EPA), fluoride 4 mg/L, nitrate 10 mg/L, gross alpha 15 pCi/L, radon 4,000 pCi/L advisory. Only towns with 20 or more results are published; statistics below the reporting limit show as *. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Individual samples from the USGS Water Quality Portal and state monitoring, summarized per geography. arsenic counts and shares are listed on each county and town page with their sources.
Analysis: Arsenic in private wells, state by state, from the same public records.