Essex, NJ
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 Essex in New Jersey · Population: 854,130
Essex, NJ is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 28 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 23 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 58/100 (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 1.7M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 9 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 44 and a peak AQI of 97 in 2022, with 66% 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.
Air Quality History (2020–2022)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 177 (66%) | 92 | 0 | 97 |
| 2021 | 214 (59%) | 148 | 3 | 125 |
| 2020 | 226 (62%) | 139 | 1 | 127 |
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 New Jersey, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.
Water Systems (23)
| System | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT | 294,274 | 26 |
| NJ AMERICAN WATER - SHORT HILLS | 217,230 | 0 |
| EAST ORANGE WATER COMMISSION | 75,000 | 0 |
| BLOOMFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT | 47,315 | 33 |
| BELLEVILLE WATER DEPT | 35,129 | 36 |
| ORANGE WATER DEPT | 30,134 | 1 |
| NUTLEY WATER DEPT | 29,500 | 13 |
| LIVINGSTON TWP DIV OF WATER | 27,391 | 1 |
| SOUTH ORANGE WATER DEPARTMENT | 16,964 | 0 |
| VERONA WATER DEPARTMENT | 13,641 | 13 |
| CEDAR GROVE WATER DEPT | 12,900 | 10 |
| NJ AMERICAN WATER - LITTLE FALLS | 11,247 | 0 |
| WEST CALDWELL WATER DEPARTMENT | 10,759 | 7 |
| CALDWELL WATER DEPT | 9,027 | 0 |
| FAIRFIELD WATER DEPT | 7,400 | 0 |
| NORTH CALDWELL WATER DEP | 6,000 | 0 |
| ROSELAND WATER DEPT | 5,300 | 0 |
| ESSEX FELLS WATER HILLTOP SYSTEM | 354 | 0 |
| AWM FOUR SEASONS AT CHESTER | 280 | 0 |
| NJ AMERICAN WATER - TWIN LAKES | 250 | 0 |
| NORTH CALDWELL - HILLTOP | 208 | 0 |
| HUDSON VALLEY APARTMENTS | 150 | 0 |
| ASCOT PARK APTS | 125 | 0 |
TRI Facilities (28)
Cities in Essex (10)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the environmental risk level in Essex, New Jersey? ▼
Are there Superfund sites in Essex? ▼
How many toxic release facilities are in Essex? ▼
What is the air quality in Essex? ▼
Is the drinking water safe in Essex? ▼
What environmental agencies cover Essex? ▼
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.