Burlington Department Public Works Water Div
EPA ID: VT0005053 · 42,000 people served · 7 ZIP codes
The EPA enforcement database lists 2 active violations for Burlington Department Public Works Water Div — a provider that delivers drinking water to approximately 42,000 people and has not yet formally resolved those findings.
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-04-02
Service Area Map
Coverage area for Burlington Department Public Works Water Div Source: EPA SDWIS service area boundaries.
Service area boundary — Grade A
Service Area Demographics
The Burlington Department Public Works Water Div serves a community with a median household income of $97,242 and an estimated 81,461 residents across its service area. Approximately 65% of housing stock was built before 1986, which increases the likelihood of lead service lines and older plumbing.
🌊 Where Does Your Water Come From?
Burlington Department Public Works Water Div's water is drawn from rivers, lakes, or reservoirs. Surface water sources are more exposed to agricultural runoff, stormwater, and upstream discharges, but they typically receive more intensive treatment before reaching your tap.
About 1% of homes in Chittenden County, Vermont rely on private wells rather than public water systems. Private well owners are responsible for their own water testing and treatment.
Superfund Proximity Note: This service area ranks in the 80th percentile nationally for proximity to Superfund (NPL) sites.
Infrastructure Risk
Detected Contaminants
How Burlington Department Public Works Water Div compares to EPA limits
What This Means For You
Surface Water Treatment Rule at 2 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
Consumer Confidence Report Rule at 1 mg/L exceeds the EPA maximum of mg/L.
PFAS Detected in Service Area
PFAS ("forever chemicals") have been detected in water serving this system's area. 1 detection recorded.
Comparable Water Systems
Similar-sized systems in Vermont
Estimated Remediation Costs
Average estimated costs across ZIP codes served by this system
Based on national averages for common remediation projects. Actual costs vary by property. Only issues flagged by EPA, FEMA, or state data for each ZIP code are included.
System Overview
Burlington Department Public Works Water Div (EPA ID: VT0005053) is a community water system in Vermont that serves approximately 42,000 people from surface water sources.
This system provides water to 7 ZIP codes across 3 communities.
Average Home Safety Score: A (92/100)
Based on water quality violations, lead levels, and radon risk across all ZIP codes served by this system.
Violation History
Recent Violations
| Date | Contaminant | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2025 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Unresolved |
| July 1, 2024 | Surface Water Treatment Rule | Monitoring | Resolved |
| June 1, 2023 | Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Monitoring | Unresolved |
Contaminants Detected
The following contaminants have been flagged in EPA records for this water system:
| Contaminant | Category | Violations | Health-Based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rule | Treatment Failure | 2 | No |
| Consumer Confidence Report Rule | Reporting Failure | 1 | No |
Lead & Copper
EPA Lead and Copper Rule sampling data for ZIP codes served by this system:
| ZIP Code | Lead Level | Exceeds Limit | Sample Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05401 | 0.0014 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 05402 | 0.0014 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 05405 | 0.0014 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 05406 | 0.0014 mg/L | No | N/A |
| 05408 | 0.0014 mg/L | No | N/A |
Radon Risk in Service Area
Dominant radon zone for ZIP codes served by this system: Zone 3 (Low Risk)
Need help with your water quality?
Typical cost: Water test: typically $20–$50 (DIY kit) · Professional inspection: $150–$400
Find the Right Water FilterFree tip: Let cold water run for 2 minutes before drinking — this helps flush lead from your pipes.
ZIP Codes Served
Coverage: 5 ZIP codes confirmed via EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3 plus 2 additional ZIPs inferred from SDWIS registry data. The EPA-confirmed set is the most reliable; SDWIS-inferred entries may be narrower than the real deployment area.
- 05401 — Burlington
- 05402 — Burlington
- 05403 — South Burlington
- 05405 — Burlington
- 05406 — Burlington
- 05408 — Burlington
- 05446 — Colchester
Data Sources
This report uses public data from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). View the full compliance record for Burlington Department Public Works Water Div (VT0005053) on EPA.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burlington Department Public Works Water Div water safe to drink?
Burlington Department Public Works Water Div has only monitoring/reporting violations, which are procedural in nature. The system meets federal health-based standards.
How many people does Burlington Department Public Works Water Div serve?
Burlington Department Public Works Water Div serves approximately 42,000 people across 7 ZIP codes in Vermont.
Where does Burlington Department Public Works Water Div get its water?
The primary water source is surface water.
Contact Your Water Utility
Public-record contact information for the water utility serving this system. Use these channels to request water quality reports, ask about service, or report issues directly.
Contact information from Burlington Water Resources Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility, does not act as its agent, and does not provide customer support for it. Contact details shown are public-record information from CCR filings. For service issues, contact the utility directly using the information above.
Water Source & Treatment
Where this water originates and how it's treated before reaching your tap.
Source: Burlington Water Resources Consumer Confidence Report.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. Treatment and source data are sourced from the utility's published CCR filings.
In 2020, we updated our Source Water Protection Plan (available for review upon request) that identifies actual or potential sources of contamination within the watershed and includes a general plan to specifically address those threats.
Treatment regime
How this utility classifies its treatment process and what each reported treatment chemical does.
Treatment chemicals and what each one does
Chemical names are reported verbatim by the utility. Purpose categories are ZipCheckup annotations based on standard drinking-water treatment practice.
Treatment classification and chemical list sourced from Burlington Water Resources Consumer Confidence Report.
Treatment intensity is a ZipCheckup-derived classification based on the chemicals and processes the utility reports. Chemicals and contamination sources are taken verbatim from the utility's CCR filing. Routine federal monitoring and contaminant testing shown elsewhere on this page determine whether the water meets safety standards, not the treatment classification.
Federal UCMR5 PFAS Monitoring: Tested Clean
This water system was tested under the federal EPA Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR5). No PFAS compounds were detected.
Current MCL reflects the lowest state-enforceable limit (NYS 10 ppt for PFOA/PFOS, effective August 2020). The federal final MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA/PFOS (EPA April 2024 rule) is not enforceable until April 2029. Detections above 4 ppt but below 10 ppt are below current MCL but above the future federal limit.
Source: U.S. EPA UCMR5 (Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, 5th cycle) — per-system federal sampling, 2023–2025. EPA UCMR5 monitoring program →
PFAS Substances Detected in This System
This water system's Consumer Confidence Report disclosed the following PFAS compounds. Levels are from the utility's most recent reporting cycle.
In April 2024, EPA finalized the first National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS. Public water systems have until 2029 to comply. EPA — PFAS regulation overview →
Source: Consumer Confidence Report disclosed by Burlington Water Resources.
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. PFAS detection data is sourced from public Consumer Confidence Reports filed by the utility itself.
By the State and EPA by October deadline we were able to get 80% of water service lines inventoried with no lead services found. To learn more, please visit www.burlingtonvt.gov/water/SLIP.
Lead Service Line Replacement Tracker
This water utility's lead service line (LSL) replacement program is tracked from public Consumer Confidence Report filings. Email signup notifies subscribers when the utility files an updated replacement plan or progress milestone.
Burlington Water Resources
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with this water utility. LSL replacement-program data is sourced from public CCR filings published by the utility. Subscription notifications are based on automated parsing of subsequent CCR releases.
Learn more about Lead and Copper Rule replacement requirements →
Lead Service Line Inventory
Service line breakdown reported under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) inventory requirement:
Federal LCRI rule (effective October 2024) requires every public water system to inventory its service lines and complete lead-line replacement within 10 years.
Source: EPA SDWIS Federal Service Line Inventory (Phase 2) · Submitted 2026
ZipCheckup is not affiliated with the utility or state agency. Inventory figures render verbatim from the public LCRI submission cited above; ZipCheckup does not perform inspections or replacements.
Aesthetic water quality
These measurements describe the look, taste, and feel of the water this utility delivers. They are not contaminant violations — they sit alongside federal Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCLs) which the EPA publishes as non-enforceable guidance.
Aesthetic measurements from Burlington Water Resources Consumer Confidence Report.
Aesthetic measurements are reported by the utility from its annual sampling. EPA Secondary MCLs are advisory thresholds — values outside them indicate aesthetic concerns such as taste or appearance, not health violations. Federal contaminant testing is shown in the sections above.
Notable events and violations
This section summarizes events the utility chose to disclose in its most recent Consumer Confidence Report, plus any federal compliance violations the utility recorded against itself. Both lists are utility-authored — ZipCheckup does not audit, judge, or reorder them.
Notable events from the utility's CCR
These bullet entries are the utility's own narration of operational, regulatory, or infrastructure events during the reporting period.
- In December 2023, we replaced the sand media in one of our main filters (Filtration 2 in the process graphic above) with 0.5mm sand and subjected it to rigorous stress testing under a variety of conditions. We were so impressed with the water quality results that by May 2024 the media in our remaining seven filters were replaced.
- At the end of May, a 42-year old underground medium voltage (4160V) cable that powers a number of our finished pumps failed. We were able to secure new cable and get a local company who still works with this voltage to install it for us very quickly.
- Our Redstone water tank was offline from June through October for complete rehabilitation. This work included complete sandblast and repainting, safety modifications, FAA lighting plus an engineered mounting system for cellular and other antennas on this tank.
- As part of the Main Street Great Streets project, the City replaced 1,220 feet of water main on Main Street and King Street.
- The City relined the water main on Ledge Road between the Shelburne Rd roundabout and Hillcrest Road for a total of 1,370 feet.
- By the State and EPA by October deadline we were able to get 80% of water service lines inventoried with no lead services found.
- In December we started replacement of 15+ year old PLCs (programmable logic controllers) that help control our filtration process and expect a complete PLC replacement in early 2025.
- The lack of snow during the winter of 2023/2024 coupled with a number of significant winter and summer rain events dumped an excess of organics into Lake Champlain. Most, if not all, water systems on the lake that are using free chlorine as a disinfectant struggled with Disinfection By-Product (DBP) issues, and we were no exception. Through enhanced treatment and optimization of chlorine residuals in our distribution system we were able to prevent DBP violations in the form of TTHMs at one particular site plus our wholesale customer, Colchester Fire District #2.
ZipCheckup note: items above reflect what the utility published in its most recent CCR. Federal violation records are also tracked separately by the EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — the SDWIS record is the authoritative federal source for any specific regulatory action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What You Can Do
Test your water
Home test kits can detect lead, bacteria, and other contaminants at your tap. Find the right filter →
Check your specific ZIP code
Water quality can vary within a system. View nearest ZIP report →
Contact your utility
Burlington Department Public Works Water Div (EPA ID: VT0005053) — request the latest Consumer Confidence Report or ask about specific contaminants.