Wells and Springs Run Dry: Vermont's Divide Over Who Pays for Water in Crisis
The summer and fall of 2025 will be remembered in Vermont not for vibrant foliage, but for cracked earth, dwindling streams, and the profound anxiety of turning on a tap and getting nothing.
A historic drought has gripped the Green Mountain State, exposing a deep divide between neighbors and revealing critical gaps in how we prepare for and respond to disaster.
For those on town water, it has meant calls for conservation. But for the four in ten Vermont households on private wells and springs, it has meant a full-blown crisis, leaving families without the most basic necessity of life.
This is the story of that crisis: how it happened, why our systems weren’t ready, and the clear, legally-sound path Vermont can take to ensure that when the next drought comes, no one is left high and dry.
## The Anatomy of an Unprecedented Drought
What Vermont experienced in 2025 wasn’t just a dry spell. According to State Climatologist Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, it was a “flash drought”—a rapid, intense drying period—piled on top of a long-term water deficit that began building in late 2024. This one-two punch created a perfect storm for water scarcity.
By the end of September, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed nearly the entire state in at least “Abnormally Dry” conditions. A huge swath, including Addison, Rutland, Windsor, and Orange counties, was classified as suffering from “Extreme Drought.” Some areas faced rainfall deficits of nearly eight inches, and soil moisture plummeted to 80% below average.
The consequences have rippled across every part of Vermont life:
On the Farm: Farmers reported catastrophic losses in hay and feed crops, some as high as 50%, forcing them to buy expensive supplemental feed and even truck in water for their livestock, according to reports from across the state. Even Vermont’s iconic sugar maples are showing signs of stress. 🍁
In Our Environment: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, streamflows and groundwater levels hit record lows. Lake Champlain approached record-low levels, contributing to harmful algal blooms in the warmer, stagnant water. The dry landscape also created a tinderbox, prompting the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to issue a statewide ban on debris burning.
At Home: This is where the crisis hit hardest. Since late August, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has received nearly 400 reports of private drinking water supplies running dry. According to a DEC analysis, a staggering 77% of these failures were in shallow dug wells and springs, which are the most vulnerable to a falling water table. Families were left buying bottled water, showering at schools, and hauling buckets from streams. To make matters worse, well-drilling companies have been so overwhelmed that many are reportedly not taking new customers until next spring, leaving those affected with no immediate path to a permanent solution.
## A System Built for Floods, Not Droughts
How could this happen? Vermont has a robust, “all-hazards” emergency management system. The problem is that our institutional muscle memory, planning, and—critically—our funding streams are all geared toward floods.
State law requires every town to have a Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP). This is the operational playbook for a disaster. However, these plans are often developed alongside a separate, long-term Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). A town might identify “drought” in its long-term plan to be eligible for federal grants, but fail to create a detailed, step-by-step drought response section in its yearly operational plan.
This planning gap is evident on the ground. When the crisis hit, towns like Corinth had to improvise, opening a single spigot at the town hall for residents to fill jugs. In Berlin, a public works supervisor used a fire hose to pump water from the strained municipal system into a private elder care facility where all the wells had failed.
These are acts of compassion, but they are not a policy. They are legally risky, financially unsustainable, and create an inequitable patchwork of responses. This ad-hoc system is perpetuated by a cycle where federal disaster declarations for floods, according to FEMA records, unlock mitigation money. This creates a powerful financial incentive for towns to focus their planning and resources on flood projects, leaving drought preparedness chronically underfunded and underdeveloped.
## The Legal Key: Vermont’s Water is a Public Trust
The central dilemma is this: How can a town like Berlin, which was forced to put its own paying customers on water restrictions, be expected to provide water to non-ratepayers? The answer lies in a powerful Vermont law.
In 2008, the state legislature passed Act 199, which declares that all groundwater in Vermont is a “public trust resource.” This isn’t just symbolic language. It means that the state itself is the ultimate steward of our groundwater, tasked with managing it for the benefit of all citizens.
This doctrine provides the legal and ethical foundation for a state-led solution. It reframes the crisis from a series of individual problems (my well is dry) into a collective responsibility (a public resource is failing its beneficiaries). The law gives the State of Vermont the authority and the mandate to step in and ensure every citizen has access to water for their essential needs, especially during a declared emergency. This allows the state to create a program that can use municipal infrastructure as a tool, with the state providing the legal framework, coordination, and financial reimbursement, thereby relieving towns of the impossible burden they currently face.
## A Proven Roadmap from Other States
Vermont doesn’t have to invent a solution from scratch. Drought-prone states like California have spent years developing effective programs that Vermont can adapt. The California model is particularly relevant because its legal view of water as a public resource mirrors Vermont’s.
Here’s how their successful system works:
A Partnership Approach: State agencies provide funding and oversight, but the actual delivery of services is handled by county governments and trusted regional non-profit organizations. Vermont’s excellent network of Regional Planning Commissions is perfectly suited for this role.
A Spectrum of Aid: They offer immediate relief like bottled water and emergency hauled water to fill temporary tanks. Crucially, they also provide grants and low-interest loans to help lower-income households pay for permanent solutions, like drilling a new, deeper well.
A Single Point of Entry: California uses an online “Dry Well Reporting System” not just to collect data, but as the official application portal for assistance. This gives the state a real-time map of the crisis and provides residents with a clear, direct way to ask for help.
The challenges revealed by this drought are significant, but they are not insurmountable. By embracing Vermont’s legal tradition of managing resources for the common good and adopting proven strategies, Vermont can look to bridge the divide between town and country, building a truly resilient water policy that serves every single Vermonter.