Burlington
Burlington, VT water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
burlington dept public works water div
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID VT0005053
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Burlington is a small but growing city and the largest in Vermont, home to roughly 42,452 residents. Burlington's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve Vermont: Lake Champlain, rivers, and groundwater.
As elsewhere in Vermont, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. Small rural systems and PFAS detections shape a largely water-rich state.
Vermont reuses an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; Burlington tracks no meaningful drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the Vermont profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Burlington below.
Chittenden County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~42,452 (largest in Vermont)
- Primary sources: Lake Champlain, rivers, and groundwater
- Drought: no meaningful conditions
- State reuse rate: ~3% of wastewater
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Burlington?
Burlington's largest water system, BURLINGTON DEPT PUBLIC WORKS WATER DIV, serves about 42,000 people. EPA records show 0 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 1.4 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Burlington get its water?
BURLINGTON DEPT PUBLIC WORKS WATER DIV draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of Vermont's supply from Lake Champlain, rivers, groundwater.
Related water issues
Aging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExplorePFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
Explore