Well water in Franklin County, Vermont
In Franklin County, 3% of 2,017 private wells tested had arsenic above the Vermont limit (10 ug/L), according to the Vermont Department of Health.
3,060 private wells tested in state summaries; 5 individual samples from 2 wells, 1966 to 2023. Data refreshed September 3, 2026.
What homeowner tests found
Vermont Tracking private well summaries: private wells tested and reported to the state. Shares are against the level the state applies to each contaminant, named in the last column; several are stricter than EPA. County and state figures combine the town summaries, weighted by wells tested; medians are not combined.
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What this means
Among homeowners in Franklin County who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (3% of 2,017 wells), uranium (1% of 1,943 wells), and nitrate (<1% of 3,060 wells). These are ordinary wells tested by their owners, so the shares are the best available picture of a typical well here, with one caveat: people test more often when they suspect a problem.
What to test for in Franklin County
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)213 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- PFAS4 unlined landfills on record locally.
- Metals panel74 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- Gross alpha6% of 1,249 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Arsenic3% of 2,017 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Uranium1% of 1,943 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Nitrate<1% of 3,060 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Fluoride<1% of 2,576 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- RadonMedian local reading is 500 pCi/L.
- CopperDetected in 100% of local samples.
Wells in Franklin County
5,196 domestic wells in Franklin County are on record with the state since 1970. 97% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 320 feet deep (one in ten goes past 523 feet).
In a typical Franklin County well, bedrock starts about 20 feet down, the median yield is 5 gallons per minute, 30% of wells yield under 3 gallons per minute and usually need a storage tank.
Bedrock wells are where arsenic, uranium and radon come from: the water sits in fractures in granite and metamorphic rock and picks up whatever the rock carries. That is why testing for those three matters more here than in a dug or gravel well.
Contamination sources on record in Franklin County
Vermont ANR records 213 leaking underground storage tank sites, 4 unlined landfills, 74 hazardous waste sites, and 7 reported spills and releases in Franklin County, among 463 regulated sites in total. Groundwater does not follow property lines, so a well within a few hundred feet of one of these is worth testing for what that site could release.
- 213
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 4
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 74
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 7
- reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
- 165
- registered underground storage tank sitesRegistered tanks are regulated and inspected; they matter most when they are old or near a shallow well.
Treatment that fits the local profile
- Gross alpha
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Water softener (cation exchange) for radium; Anion exchange for uranium
- Fluoride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
- Copper
- Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
- Iron
- Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
- Chloride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
- Manganese
- Oxidizing filter (greensand, birm) whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Point-of-use reverse osmosis
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Common questions
How deep are wells in Franklin County?
The typical domestic well in Franklin County is 320 feet deep, based on 5,196 wells reported to the state since 1970. One in ten is deeper than 523 feet. 97% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Franklin County?
Arsenic was detected in 100% of 2 public well samples in Franklin County, and 0% were above the EPA limit of 10 ug/L. Arsenic has no taste or smell; a lab test is the only way to know your level.
How high is radon in well water in Franklin County?
The median radon level across 1 public samples in Franklin County was 500 pCi/L, with a high of 500 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Franklin County?
Test for bacteria and nitrate every year. Test once for arsenic, uranium, radon, fluoride, manganese and PFAS, then again every three to five years or after any change in taste, color, or plumbing.
Towns in Franklin County
- Bakersfield0% arsenic
- Berkshire5% nitrate
- Enosburgh4% uranium
- Fairfax6% arsenic
- Fairfield3% arsenic
- Fletcher3% arsenic
- Franklin2% nitrate
- Georgia<1% arsenic
- Highgate6% arsenic
- Montgomery1% uranium
- Richford7% uranium
- Sheldon3% nitrate
- St. Albans<1% arsenic
- Swanton3% arsenic
1 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Franklin County totals above rather than shown separately: St. Albans.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 32 samples in Franklin County. Data from the Water Quality Portal, a service of USGS, EPA and USDA; groundwater samples collected by USGS and cooperators. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Vermont Tracking private well summaries: summaries for 6 contaminants in Franklin County, up to 3,060 wells each. 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.
- Vermont ANR well completion reports: 5,507 well records in Franklin County, 5,196 domestic. Well completion reports filed with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources since 1966. Only aggregates are shown; owner names and addresses are never stored. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Vermont ANR regulated sites: 463 regulated sites located in Franklin County. Hazardous waste sites, landfills and underground storage tanks from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
Non-detects count as samples and are treated as zero when computing medians. Exactly at the limit counts as not above it. A sample belongs to the town containing the well's reported coordinates.