Domestic Bottled and Bulk Water (VT Sources)

Bottled or bulk water intended for human consumption and other consumer uses meets the definition of drinking water at 10 V.S.A., §1671, and therefore is regulated by the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division. The public distribution and sale of bottled water shall be permitted by the Secretary before such water is sold or delivered in Vermont. Facilities which produce bottled water in Vermont (Domestic), bottled and bulk water systems, are considered public community water systems and shall meet all the applicable requirements of this rule, including the appendices.

There are resources available to your drinking water system to ensure you are properly prepared for an emergency, and that your facility has adequate security.

Emergency Bulk Water Hauling

All public water systems must conduct Water Quality Monitoring. You will find a brief summary of the various monitoring requirement as well as any associated regulatory information. Water quality testing must be performed at labs that must be certified by the state of Vermont. Only test results coming from a Certified Lab will be accepted.

Every public water system is required to have a Certified Operator. Licensing, testing, resources and information can all be found there.

Numerous Permits apply to Domestic Bottled and Bulk water systems. A complete listing along with a brief description of what each application and/or form is used for can be found on this page.

Domestic bottled and bulk water haulers also require permits. These permits are required any time construction is performed throughout the system, on the water source, including deepening and hydrofacturing, or on the systems processes. Not sure if you need a permit? Please contact us.

Many program activities require a fee.

Numerous Guidance, Practices, and Procedures apply to the regulation of public drinking water systems. These are designed to clarify, simplify and/or outline the DWGPD’s approach to regulating public drinking water systems. All public community water systems are required to have an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manual, submit an update whenever operational changes are made to the system, and in response to a condition in a Permit to Operate. O&M manuals are the user manual for the system, to be used on a regular basis and in the event of an emergency where someone unfamiliar with the system can come in and perform the necessary functions, including, but not limited to, start-up/shut-down, taking samples and disinfecting.

• O&M Guidance
• O&M Template

Source Water Protection is the first line of defense any public water system has in ensuring their source water is safe for public consumption. Here you will find documents related to meeting the regulatory requirement of source water protection as well as helpful education and outreach material.

Reporting (link to various forms)

To find out information about the public water system you can visit Drinking Water Watch. If you don’t know the WSID (VTXXXXXXX) of your water system, you can search using any part of the water system’s name or simply by the county you are in. Drinking Water Watch will provide information regarding official contacts, water quality monitoring results, population number and type, water system facilities (source, tanks, treatment, etc.) and violations, if any, that exist for the system.

To create a source protection area map of water system, you can visit the ANR Natural Resources Atlas. Also available is a Public Well Locator.
Please visit the Outreach and Educational section for additional material, including links to external resources.

List of Interested Persons for Large Groundwater Withdrawal and Domestic Bottled/Bulk Water Withdrawal