Buchanan, MO

Moderate Risk (45/100)

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 Buchanan in Missouri · Population: 83,855

TRI sites such as National Beef Leathers LLC; Ag Processing Inc; Lake Road Station; SDWIS systems such as MO AMERICAN ST JOSEPH; MO AMERICAN PLATTE COUNTY; MO AMERICAN LAWSON anchor Buchanan, MO's EPA extract. Derived burden score 45/100 (Moderate 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 Buchanan include MO AMERICAN LAWSON, while National Beef Leathers LLC leads reported TRI pounds among local Form R filers. AQS median AQI 44 / peak 77 in 2024.

Burden score 45/100 (Moderate 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 Buchanan -- 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 Buchanan, MO: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year

2022 → 2023

Same facilities, both years

-11.3%

21 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023

Whole inventory

-11.6%

1.6 million lb → 1.4 million lb, every facility that filed

Between the two reporting years, 0 facilities filed for the first time and 2 stopped filing. Facilities entering or leaving the inventory are excluded from the same-facility comparison above.

  • Buchanan, MO's total reported releases fell from 1.6 million lb in 2022 to 1.4 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Buchanan, MO's air releases rose from 384.3 thousand lb in 2022 to 527.0 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Buchanan, MO's off-site transfers fell from 1.2 million lb in 2022 to 836.3 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Buchanan, MO's land releases fell from 36.9 thousand lb in 2022 to 35.3 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
County population (Census ACS)
83,855
TRI Facilities
25
Water Systems
9
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
7.6M lbs

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 216 (60%) 143 0 77
2023 196 (54%) 165 2 129
2022 237 (65%) 126 2 106
2021 235 (64%) 127 3 109
2020 248 (68%) 116 1 126
2024 Good Air Quality: 60% of days
Median AQI: 44

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 Missouri, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (9)

System System pop (SDWIS) Violations
MO AMERICAN ST JOSEPH 89,171 0
MO AMERICAN PLATTE COUNTY 16,645 0
MO AMERICAN LAWSON 2,546 4
BUCHANAN COUNTY PWSD 1 2,115 0
MO AMERICAN STEWARTSVILLE 928 0
MO AMERICAN ORRICK 752 0
MO AMERICAN WOOD HEIGHTS 750 0
EASTON PWS 250 0
DEKALB PWS 250 0

TRI Facilities (25)

# Facility Total Releases
1 National Beef Leathers LLC 5.0M lbs
2 Ag Processing Inc 1.8M lbs
3 Lake Road Station 127.7K lbs
4 The Hillshire Brands St. Joseph Missouri 119.5K lbs
5 Icm Biofuels LLC 81.1K lbs
6 Triumph Foods LLC 79.7K lbs
7 Altec Industries Inc 68.4K lbs
8 Sealed Air Corp 62.2K lbs
9 Albaugh Inc. 59.1K lbs
10 Silgan Containers Manufacturing Corp 55.5K lbs
11 Bluescope Buildings N.a. Inc. 55.0K lbs
12 Clarios LLC 48.9K lbs
13 Omnium 40.8K lbs
14 Hillyard Industries Inc 16.2K lbs
15 Nestle Purina Petcare 7.0K lbs
16 Biozyme Inc 5.9K lbs
17 Clarios Distribution Center 5.5K lbs
18 Builders Choice 191 lbs
19 Ritepack Inc 50 lbs
20 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health--N. Belt Campus 17 lbs
21 Altec Industries Inc 15 lbs
22 Ritepack Inc 10 lbs
23 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health - Central Warehouse 1 lbs
24 Insteel Wire Products 0 lbs
25 Purina Animal Nutrition Llc-St Joseph 0 lbs

Cities in Buchanan (4)

Saint Joseph
25 facilities · 0 water
St Joseph
0 facilities · 6 water
Dekalb
0 facilities · 2 water
Easton
0 facilities · 1 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Buchanan, Missouri?
Buchanan, MO has an environmental risk score of 45/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 25 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 9 water systems on record. 1 water system have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Buchanan?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Buchanan, MO in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Buchanan?
Buchanan, MO has 25 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 7.6M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Buchanan?
In 2024, Buchanan, MO recorded a median AQI of 44 and a peak AQI of 77. 60% of monitored days had "Good" air quality (AQI 0–50). Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County.
Is the drinking water safe in Buchanan?
Buchanan, MO has 9 EPA-regulated water systems. 1 system has reported health-based violations (MCL exceedances). A past violation does not necessarily mean water is currently unsafe. For current water quality, contact your local water utility. Source: EPA SDWIS.
What environmental agencies cover Buchanan?
Environmental compliance in Buchanan, Missouri is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Missouri state environmental agency. Facilities report to the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, water systems are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and contaminated sites are managed under the Superfund program. Contact your state environmental agency for local concerns.

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.

Related

Data sourced from U.S. EPA environmental datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEnviro