New Hampshire has one of the strictest PFAS standards in the country – 12 ppt for four PFAS compounds – driven by severe contamination at the former Pease Air Force Base. Vermont set PFAS standards at 20 ppt for five compounds in 2020. Both states have clean mountain source water, but New Hampshire's military and industrial contamination creates more hot spots. Vermont provides a cleaner overall profile with fewer contamination sources.
New Hampshire and Vermont are the smallest neighboring states in New England, with a combined population under 2 million. Both benefit from mountain watershed sources and relatively low industrial density. But New Hampshire's PFAS crisis – centered on the former Pease Air Force Base and the Saint-Gobain plastics plant in Merrimack – forced the state to adopt some of the nation's strictest PFAS limits. Vermont has fewer contamination hot spots but its own emerging concerns.
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New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services manages about 2,600 public water systems (mostly small) serving 900,000 residents. Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation oversees roughly 1,400 systems for 450,000 people. Both states have high rates of private well usage – about 40% of New Hampshire residents and 35% of Vermont residents rely on private wells not covered by federal monitoring.
Check your water quality by zip code for your system's results.
New Hampshire's PFAS crisis is well-documented. The former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth contaminated drinking water wells with PFOS levels exceeding 2,000 ppt – five hundred times the current federal limit. A CDC health study found elevated PFAS blood levels in Pease-area residents. The Saint-Gobain plastics plant in Merrimack contaminated private wells across southern New Hampshire with PFOA from its manufacturing process. According to NH DES data from 2025, over 40 sites statewide have confirmed PFAS contamination.
Vermont's PFAS situation is less severe but gaining attention. The state has identified contamination from PFAS-containing biosolids (treated sewage sludge) applied to farmland – a pathway that doesn't involve military bases or factories. PFAS from biosolids has been found in soil and groundwater on farms in Bennington County and other agricultural areas.
Both states draw from clean mountain sources. Vermont's Green Mountains and New Hampshire's White Mountains feed river systems and reservoirs with minimal upstream contamination. Burlington draws from Lake Champlain; Manchester, NH draws from Lake Massabesic. These sources are among the cleanest in the country before treatment.
The private well challenge is significant in both states. With 35-40% of residents on wells, a large portion of the population falls outside federal monitoring. New Hampshire responded to the Pease crisis by funding private well testing for PFAS in affected areas – over 5,000 private wells have been tested through state programs. Vermont has offered well testing programs but with more limited scope.
Lead infrastructure is less of a concern than in older industrial states. Both states have newer housing stock on average and fewer lead service lines. The primary infrastructure challenge is maintaining small systems – both states have hundreds of community water systems serving under 500 people.
New Hampshire's PFAS standard of 12 ppt for the sum of four compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA) is among the strictest in the nation and was adopted in 2019 – before any other New England state and well before the federal rule. The crisis at Pease drove legislative action that made New Hampshire a PFAS regulation leader despite its small size.
Vermont adopted PFAS standards of 20 ppt for five compounds in 2020 and has been proactive on the biosolids-PFAS pathway, banning the application of PFAS-containing biosolids to farmland. Vermont's approach addresses a contamination route that most states haven't even studied.
Vermont has a cleaner overall profile – fewer contamination sources, lower PFAS detection rates, and a more distributed risk. New Hampshire has more hot spots but has responded with stricter standards and more testing. If you avoid the known contamination areas (southern NH, Seacoast region), New Hampshire's water is comparable to Vermont's.
Both states are above average nationally. The combination of clean mountain sources, proactive regulation, and relatively low industrial density puts both in the top tier for water quality. The differences between them are smaller than the gap between either state and most of the country.
Check your water quality by zip code for your system's data. Private well owners in both states should test for PFAS – especially in southern New Hampshire and near Vermont farmland where biosolids were applied.
If your well or system shows PFAS, the AquaTru reverse osmosis system removes up to 99.9% of PFAS compounds. The Brita Elite handles some PFAS and lead. Full options: water filter guide.
Detailed analysis: get a water quality PDF report. State pages: New Hampshire and Vermont.
Is New Hampshire or Vermont water safer? Vermont has fewer contamination sources and lower PFAS detection rates. New Hampshire has more hot spots from Pease AFB and industrial sites but stricter PFAS limits (12 ppt vs 20 ppt). Both states are above the national average for water quality.
How bad is PFAS at Pease Air Force Base? PFOS levels at Pease reached over 2,000 ppt in drinking water wells – 500 times the current federal limit. A CDC study found elevated PFAS blood levels in area residents. The base contamination drove New Hampshire to adopt some of the strictest PFAS limits in the country.
Does Vermont have PFAS in its water? Yes. About 38% of tested Vermont systems detected PFAS under UCMR5. A unique concern in Vermont is PFAS contamination from biosolids (treated sewage sludge) applied to farmland, which has been found in soil and groundwater in agricultural areas.
Should I test my private well in New Hampshire? Yes. About 40% of New Hampshire residents use private wells that aren't covered by federal testing. The state offers PFAS testing programs in contaminated areas. All private well owners in southern New Hampshire and the Seacoast region should test for PFAS.
What is New Hampshire's PFAS drinking water limit? New Hampshire limits the sum of four PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA) to 12 ppt. This is stricter than the federal MCL and was adopted in 2019, making New Hampshire one of the first states to set enforceable PFAS standards.