Public water system · VT0005318
ActiveChester Water Dept
At a glance
Chester Water Dept (PWSID VT0005318) is an active community water system in Windsor County, Vermont. It reports serving 3,200 people through 560 service connections. Its primary water source is groundwater, and EPA lists it as owned by a local government. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2022.
Dataset updated . Source: EPA SDWIS/ECHO public records.
Population served
3,200
Service connections
560
Primary source
GW
Groundwater
System type
CWS
Community water system
System record
How does Chester Water Dept compare with other water systems in Windsor County?
By EPA's size categories, Chester Water Dept is a small system (501 to 3,300 people). Windsor County has 164 active public water systems, and Chester Water Dept is the 3rd-largest of them by population served. Its population served is about 7.6 times the county average of 420 people per system, and accounts for 4.6% of the 68,857 people reported by systems filed under the county. Across Vermont, the 1,357 active systems average 477 people each. Nationally, the average active community water system reports serving 6,703 people, so Chester Water Dept is about half of that figure.
What does “community water system” mean?
A community water system serves at least 15 connections used by year-round residents, or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. Homes, apartments and mobile-home parks are served by these. Vermont has 405 active community water systems, 30% of the state's 1,357 active systems. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers. 1,243 Vermont systems (92%) list groundwater as their primary source.
Who owns and regulates Chester Water Dept?
EPA lists Chester Water Dept as owned by a local government. The VT state drinking water program is its primacy agency, the regulator with primary enforcement responsibility for the system under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 23 of the 164 active systems in Windsor County (14%) are also owned by a local government.
Does Chester Water Dept have drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2022. The violations listed here began between January 2017 and April 2022. By type: 9 monitoring and reporting, 2 public notice, recordkeeping or other and 1 monitoring. The contaminant or rule involved most often is Nitrate (2 of them). EPA lists 12 as resolved. Resolved means at least one resolving action is on record: the system returned to compliance, the rule no longer applies, or no further action was needed.
| Began | Violation | Contaminant or rule | Health-based | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Cyanidecode 1024 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2022-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Asbestoscode 1094 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-10-01 | MonitoringMonitoring, Routine (RTCR) · code 3A | Revised Total Coliform Rulecode 8000 | No | Resolved |
| 2021-04-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Nitratecode 1040 | No | Resolved |
| 2019-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-07-01 | Public notice, recordkeeping or otherConsumer Confidence Report Complete Failure to Report · code 71 | Consumer Confidence Rulecode 7000 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Vinyl chloridecode 2976 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,1-Dichloroethylenecode 2977 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzenecode 2378 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Trichloroethylenecode 2984 | No | Resolved |
| 2017-01-01 | Monitoring and reportingMonitoring, Regular · code 03 | Dichloromethanecode 2964 | No | Resolved |
The 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, newest first.Labels and codes come from EPA's SDWIS reference tables. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found. "Health-based" marks violations of a legal limit or required treatment.
Chester Water Dept: frequently asked questions
Who runs Chester Water Dept?
Chester Water Dept (PWSID VT0005318) is a community water system owned by a local government. It is regulated by the VT state drinking water program.
How many people does Chester Water Dept serve?
Chester Water Dept reports serving 3,200 people through 560 service connections in Windsor County, Vermont.
Where does Chester Water Dept get its water?
EPA SDWIS lists this system's primary water source as groundwater. Groundwater means the system draws its water from wells or springs fed by underground aquifers.
Does Chester Water Dept have any drinking water violations?
Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2022. A monitoring or reporting violation means a required test or report was missed or late; it does not by itself mean a contaminant was found.
Is Chester Water Dept's water safe to drink?
AquaCensus shows EPA compliance records, not current water test results, so it cannot say whether the water is safe at a given moment. Of the 12 most recent violations in EPA's records, none is health-based, and the most recent began in April 2022. For current results, consult the system's annual water quality report, EPA ECHO, or the VT state drinking water program.
Where can I find Chester Water Dept's water quality report?
As a community water system, Chester Water Dept must deliver an annual water quality report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, to its customers by July 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year. The system can provide a copy on request.
Other water systems in Windsor County
| Water system | County | Population served | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield Water Dept | Windsor | 9,800 | Community | Groundwater |
| Hartford Water Dept | Windsor | 7,600 | Community | Groundwater |
| Ludlow Village Water Dept | Windsor | 2,880 | Community | Groundwater |
| Town of Woodstock Water Department | Windsor | 2,473 | Community | Groundwater |
| Windsor Water Dept | Windsor | 2,350 | Community | Groundwater |
| Quechee Central | Windsor | 2,262 | Community | Groundwater |
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About this data
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and SDWA violation records, via EPA ECHO, as published October 1, 2026 — AquaCensus refreshes it quarterly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: AquaCensus, “Chester Water Dept, PWSID VT0005318, Vermont”, https://aquacensus.com/water-systems/vermont/chester-water-dept-vt0005318 (data as of October 1, 2026).