Well water in Windsor County, Vermont
In Windsor County, 1% of 1,961 private wells tested had arsenic above the Vermont limit (10 ug/L), according to the Vermont Department of Health.
1,961 private wells tested in state summaries; 30 individual samples from 15 wells, 1966 to 2017. 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.
What individual samples found
Each row summarizes every public sample for that contaminant inside Windsor County. Above limit means above the EPA maximum contaminant level; where EPA has no enforceable limit, the row shows a health guideline or nuisance level instead.
| Contaminant | Samples | Detected | Above limit | Median | Highest | Limit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate 1966 to 2017 | 30 | 93% | 0% | 0.296 | 8.3 | 10 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Fluoride 1966 to 2017 | 22 | 82% | 0% | 0 | 0.2 | 4 mg/L EPA limit | |
| Chloride 1966 to 2017 | 22 | 100% | no limit | 13.5 | 2,070 | 250 mg/L nuisance level | |
| Sodium 1966 to 2017 | 22 | 100% | no limit | 6.15 | 1,100 | 20 mg/L health guideline | |
| Iron 1966 to 2017 | 22 | 86% | no limit | 2.5 | 500 | 300 ug/L nuisance level | |
| Manganese 1966 to 2017 | 22 | 91% | no limit | 6.53 | 2,000 | 300 ug/L health guideline |
Sampled fewer than 10 times, too few to summarize: Radium (226 + 228) (5), Uranium (3), Arsenic (3), E. coli (2), Lead (2), Copper (2), Radon (2).
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What this means
Among homeowners in Windsor County who sent a sample to the state lab, the health-based limits most often exceeded were arsenic (1% of 1,961 wells), uranium (<1% of 1,744 wells), and nitrate (<1% of 1,239 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.
Radon was above the Vermont advisory level of 4,000 pCi/L in 12% of 161 wells. Radon in water matters because it moves into indoor air during showers and laundry.
What to test for in Windsor County
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)390 leaking underground storage tank sites on record locally.
- PFAS9 unlined landfills on record locally.
- Metals panel114 hazardous waste sites on record locally.
- Radon12% of 161 local wells tested were above the Vermont advisory level.
- Gross alpha2% of 1,295 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Arsenic1% of 1,961 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Uranium<1% of 1,744 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Nitrate<1% of 1,239 local wells tested were above the Vermont limit.
- Coliform bacteriaRecommended for every private well, every year.
- CopperDetected in 100% of local samples.
- ChlorideDetected in 100% of local samples.
Wells in Windsor County
5,744 domestic wells in Windsor County are on record with the state since 1985. 99% are drilled into bedrock, and the typical well is 325 feet deep (one in ten goes past 525 feet).
In a typical Windsor County well, bedrock starts about 16 feet down, the median yield is 8 gallons per minute, 23% 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 Windsor County
Vermont ANR records 390 leaking underground storage tank sites, 9 unlined landfills, 114 hazardous waste sites, and 16 reported spills and releases in Windsor County, among 801 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.
- 390
- leaking underground storage tank sitesGasoline and heating oil that leaked from tanks move through groundwater as benzene, MTBE and other volatile organic compounds.
- 9
- unlined landfillsOlder unlined landfills are a leading source of PFAS, VOCs and metals in nearby wells.
- 114
- hazardous waste sitesSolvents, degreasers and metals from industrial sites can travel far in fractured bedrock.
- 16
- reported spills and releasesMost spills are fuel; a few are solvents or chemicals that reach the water table.
- 272
- 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
- Radon
- Aeration (bubble-up or diffused) whole-house; Granular activated carbon whole-house (lower levels only)
- Fluoride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Activated alumina; Distillation
- Copper
- Neutralizing filter to raise pH; Point-of-use reverse osmosis
- Chloride
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis; Distillation
- Iron
- Oxidizing filter whole-house; Water softener (low levels); Aeration plus filtration
- 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 Windsor County?
The typical domestic well in Windsor County is 325 feet deep, based on 5,744 wells reported to the state since 1985. One in ten is deeper than 525 feet. 99% are drilled into bedrock.
Is there arsenic in well water in Windsor County?
Arsenic was detected in 67% of 3 public well samples in Windsor 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 Windsor County?
The median radon level across 2 public samples in Windsor County was 3,630 pCi/L, with a high of 4,100 pCi/L. New Hampshire recommends treatment above 2,000 pCi/L.
How often should I test a private well in Windsor 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 Windsor County
- Andover0% arsenic
- Barnard0% arsenic
- Bethel0% arsenic
- Bridgewater0% arsenic
- Cavendish0% arsenic
- Chester0% arsenic
- Hartford2% nitrate
- Hartland<1% arsenic
- Ludlow2% arsenic
- Norwich2% arsenic
- Plymouth2% uranium
- Pomfret0% arsenic
- Reading5% uranium
- Rochester0% arsenic
- Royalton0% arsenic
- Sharon0% arsenic
- Springfield8% arsenic
- Stockbridge0% arsenic
- Weathersfield5% arsenic
- Weston2% arsenic
- West Windsor0% arsenic
- Woodstock0% arsenic
2 towns have fewer than 30 public samples and are included in the Windsor County totals above rather than shown separately: Baltimore, Windsor.
Sources
- USGS Water Quality Portal: 159 samples in Windsor 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 Windsor County, up to 1,961 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: 6,162 well records in Windsor County, 5,744 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: 801 regulated sites located in Windsor 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.