PlainEnviro

Cerro Gordo, IA

Moderate Risk (31/100)

A PlainEnviro-computed score from reported facility/violation counts, not an official EPA rating, health forecast, or population-adjusted rate. See methodology.

Environmental data for Cerro Gordo in Iowa · Population: 42,785

Cerro Gordo, IA is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 13 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 6 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 31/100 (Moderate Risk), calibrated against national distributions for facility density, chemical release volume, Superfund concentration, and water-system health violations.

Industrial disclosures inside the county total 973.9K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 0 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 19 and a peak AQI of 56 in 2023, with 97% of observed days rated "Good" (0–50).

All figures below draw directly from federal EPA records, TRI self-reported emissions, SDWIS compliance history, NPL Hazard Ranking System scores, and AQS daily AQI summaries, and are not adjusted, weighted, or forecast. A past violation or elevated score does not itself indicate current unsafe conditions; it documents the regulatory and disclosure history publicly filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the most recent reporting cycle.

Population
42,785
TRI Facilities
13
Water Systems
6
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
973.9K lbs

Air Quality History (2020–2023)

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
2023 58 (97%) 2 0 56
2022 116 (99%) 1 0 61
2021 118 (98%) 2 0 56
2020 120 (98%) 2 0 60
2023 Good Air Quality: 97% of days
Median AQI: 19

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County 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 Iowa, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (6)

System Population Violations
MASON CITY WATER DEPARTMENT 27,338 0
CLEAR LAKE WATER DEPARTMENT 7,687 0
ROCKWELL WATER SUPPLY 1,071 0
VENTURA WATER WORKS 716 0
PLYMOUTH WATER SUPPLY 378 0
LONG BEACH MOBILE PARK 50 0

TRI Facilities (13)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Ag Processing Inc 360.2K lbs
2 Kraft Heinz Foods Co 175.9K lbs
3 Curries Div of Aadg Inc. 148.9K lbs
4 Woodharbor Doors & Cabinetry 98.7K lbs
5 Golden Grain Energy LLC 91.6K lbs
6 Heidelberg Materials US Cement LLC 46.4K lbs
7 Reg Mason City LLC 42.8K lbs
8 Minnesota Rubber & Plastics 6.3K lbs
9 Masonite Corp - 19TH St Facility 2.0K lbs
10 Masonite Corp - 12TH St Facility 963 lbs
11 Midland Concrete Products 0 lbs
12 Purina Animal Nutrition LLC - Mason City 0 lbs
13 Stellar Industries Inc. - Mason City Plant 0 lbs

Cities in Cerro Gordo (2)

Mason City
Pop: -
12 facilities · 1 water
Clear Lake
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Cerro Gordo, Iowa? ▼
Cerro Gordo, IA has an environmental risk score of 31/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 13 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 6 water systems on record. No water systems have current health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Cerro Gordo? ▼
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Cerro Gordo, IA in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Cerro Gordo? ▼
Cerro Gordo, IA has 13 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 973.9K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Cerro Gordo? ▼
In 2023, Cerro Gordo, IA recorded a median AQI of 19 and a peak AQI of 56. 97% 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 Cerro Gordo? ▼
Cerro Gordo, IA has 6 EPA-regulated water systems. No health-based violations are currently on record. For current water quality, contact your local water utility. Source: EPA SDWIS.
What environmental agencies cover Cerro Gordo? ▼
Environmental compliance in Cerro Gordo, Iowa is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Iowa 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 Guides

Understanding EPA Data
How EPA collects and publishes environmental data
Environmental Justice
Who lives near polluters and environmental hazards
How to Check Environmental Quality
Step-by-step guide to checking your local environment

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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