Benton, WA
Transparent derived index from EPA TRI / SDWIS / Superfund extracts: not an official EPA rating. Fixed caps: facilities ≤25 pts (50+ = max), log10 releases ≤25 pts, Superfund ≤25 pts (5/site), health-violation systems ≤15 pts (3/system), high-chemical facilities ≤10 pts. Bands: High ≥60, Moderate ≥30. See methodology. This is a different measure than the EJ Screening score for this county, which ranks it by percentile against other tracked counties rather than against these fixed caps.
Environmental data for Benton in Washington · Population: 210,224
TRI sites such as Lamb Weston Inc Richland Facility; Nutrien US LLC; US Doe Hanford Site; SDWIS systems such as KENNEWICK CITY OF; RICHLAND CITY OF; WEST RICHLAND CITY OF; NPL sites such as Hanford 100-Area (USDOE); Hanford 1100-Area (USDOE); Hanford 200-Area (USDOE) anchor Benton, WA's EPA extract. Derived burden score 67/100 (High Risk) uses fixed national caps on density, log release volume, Superfund count, and health-flagged systems - not an official EPA rating.
Health-flagged SDWIS rows in Benton include BADGER MOUNTAIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT; BC WATER CO; HOMESTEAD MANUFACTURED HOUSING, while Lamb Weston Inc Richland Facility leads reported TRI pounds among local Form R filers. AQS median AQI 34 / peak 126 in 2024.
Burden score 67/100 (High Risk) is the only weighted composite on this page. The tables below list every TRI facility, SDWIS system, and Superfund site EPA has on record for Benton -- not just the names called out above -- reproducing the disclosure history as filed, not a current-safety verdict. Extract current as of 2026-08-25.
Release-over-release change
What changed for Benton, WA: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year
Same facilities, both years
+1.7%
10 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023
Whole inventory
+1.4%
4.4 million lb → 4.4 million lb, every facility that filed
Between the two reporting years, 0 facilities filed for the first time and 1 stopped filing. Facilities entering or leaving the inventory are excluded from the same-facility comparison above.
- Benton, WA's total reported releases rose from 4.3 million lb in 2022 to 4.4 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Benton, WA's land releases rose from 456.2 thousand lb in 2022 to 611.7 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Benton, WA's off-site transfers rose from 951.1 thousand lb in 2022 to 1.2 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Benton, WA's water releases fell from 2.8 million lb in 2022 to 2.5 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
Air Quality History (2020–2024)
EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) data showing how many days per year fall into each air quality category.
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy (SG) | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 299 (82%) | 64 | 3 | 126 |
| 2023 | 262 (72%) | 99 | 1 | 261 |
| 2022 | 278 (76%) | 84 | 2 | 151 |
| 2021 | 283 (78%) | 73 | 6 | 180 |
| 2020 | 284 (78%) | 69 | 3 | 954 |
Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County AQI categories: Good (0-50), Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150), Unhealthy (151-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300), Hazardous (301+)
For real-time air quality readings and pollutant breakdowns in Washington, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.
Water Systems (32)
| System | System pop (SDWIS) | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| KENNEWICK CITY OF | 118,164 | 0 |
| RICHLAND CITY OF | 106,499 | 0 |
| WEST RICHLAND CITY OF | 21,231 | 0 |
| SUNNYSIDE CITY OF | 17,194 | 0 |
| PROSSER CITY OF | 12,070 | 0 |
| BENTON CITY WATER | 5,626 | 0 |
| BADGER MOUNTAIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT | 2,331 | 24 |
| SUMMIT VIEW WATER SYSTEM | 1,869 | 0 |
| BC WATER CO | 1,262 | 36 |
| Community Sewer and Water District | 1,200 | 0 |
| COLUMBIA VIEW WATER SYSTEM | 500 | 0 |
| WHITE BLUFF WATER ASSOCIATION | 386 | 0 |
| HOMESTEAD MANUFACTURED HOUSING | 300 | 2 |
| TRI-CITY WATER DISTRICT #45 | 300 | 0 |
| Plymouth Water District | 288 | 10 |
| ALDERDALE WATER ASSN | 171 | 0 |
| PASCO HEIGHTS DOMESTIC WATER ASSN | 135 | 0 |
| KIONA VILLAGE COURT | 124 | 0 |
| OVERLOOK MOBILE HOME VILLAGE | 120 | 0 |
| MARQUEZ MOBILE HOME PARK | 120 | 0 |
| RAINBOW COURT | 120 | 7 |
| ROZA HEIGHTS WATER ASSN | 110 | 0 |
| SUNDANCE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION | 100 | 29 |
| PATERSON HEIGHTS WATER ASSN | 85 | 0 |
| EATON PARK SUBDIVISION | 70 | 0 |
| GOODNIGHT WATER SYSTEM | 47 | 0 |
| BADGER CANYON WATER ASSN | 40 | 0 |
| GOOD NEIGHBORS WATER ASSN | 40 | 1 |
| MOUNT ADAMS VISTA WATER SYSTEM | 34 | 0 |
| BAR 80 RANCHETTES | 32 | 0 |
| COXVILLE WATER ASSN #1 | 26 | 81 |
| GOOSE GAP WATER ASSOCIATION | 25 | 0 |
TRI Facilities (11)
| # | Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamb Weston Inc Richland Facility | 13.1M lbs |
| 2 | Nutrien US LLC | 4.9M lbs |
| 3 | US Doe Hanford Site | 1.2M lbs |
| 4 | Alleima Special Metals LLC | 950.8K lbs |
| 5 | Perma-Fix Northwest Richland Inc | 470.3K lbs |
| 6 | Framatome Np | 446.4K lbs |
| 7 | Lamb Weston Inc. - Paterson Plant | 187.1K lbs |
| 8 | Tree Top Inc - Prosser Sprayfield | 61.7K lbs |
| 9 | Tessenderlo Kerley Inc. | 35.0K lbs |
| 10 | American Rock Products Hanford | 8.7K lbs |
| 11 | Kaiser Aluminum Washington | 0 lbs |
Superfund Sites (4)
| Site Name | Status | HRS Score |
|---|---|---|
| Hanford 100-Area (USDOE) | NPL Site | 46.38 |
| Hanford 1100-Area (USDOE) | Deleted NPL Site | 36.34 |
| Hanford 200-Area (USDOE) | NPL Site | 69.05 |
| Hanford 300-Area (USDOE) | NPL Site | 65.23 |
Cities in Benton (7)
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does this county environmental profile show?
This county environmental profile rolls up EPA Toxics Release Inventory facility reports, Safe Drinking Water Information System public-water-system filings, and Superfund National Priorities List sites for the county boundary defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Facility counts reflect facilities with a reporting address inside the county, not where downstream environmental effects may be observed. Population figures are from the most recent Census ACS 5-year estimate. The county detail page is updated whenever the upstream EPA programs publish revised data; see the methodology page for the documented ingest cadence and the editorial choices governing how aggregations are computed.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.