Essex, NY
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 York · Population: 37,077
Essex, NY is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 4 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 29 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 38/100 (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 20 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 41 and a peak AQI of 80 in 2024, with 85% 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 (2020–2024)
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 | 310 (85%) | 56 | 0 | 80 |
| 2023 | 296 (81%) | 59 | 8 | 161 |
| 2022 | 342 (94%) | 21 | 2 | 115 |
| 2021 | 310 (85%) | 54 | 1 | 101 |
| 2020 | 344 (94%) | 21 | 0 | 80 |
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 York, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.
Water Systems (29)
| System | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| LAKE PLACID V | 5,000 | 0 |
| CLINTON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY | 4,900 | 2 |
| TICONDEROGA WD | 3,700 | 1 |
| MORIAH WD | 3,100 | 7 |
| SCHROON LAKE WD | 2,750 | 2 |
| ADIRONDACK CORRECTIONAL FACILITY | 2,400 | 1 |
| CHESTERFIELD WD | 2,300 | 9 |
| PORT HENRY WD | 1,831 | 1 |
| WILLSBORO WD | 1,571 | 9 |
| CROWN POINT WD | 980 | 0 |
| WILMINGTON WD | 980 | 2 |
| WESTPORT WD | 927 | 1 |
| FOREVER WILD WATER CO-SIGNOR | 900 | 0 |
| ELIZABETHTOWN WD | 800 | 3 |
| MINERVA WD | 800 | 0 |
| KEENE VALLEY WD | 660 | 0 |
| LEWIS WD | 428 | 9 |
| RAY BROOK WD | 400 | 0 |
| ESSEX WD | 350 | 27 |
| KEENE WD | 300 | 6 |
| WINEBROOK HILLS WD | 250 | 17 |
| DRAPERS ACRES | 240 | 2 |
| PORT KENT WD | 158 | 2 |
| MOUNTAIN LAKE ACADEMY | 136 | 1 |
| NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL INC | 130 | 0 |
| FOREVER WILD WATER CO-KITZBUHL | 100 | 0 |
| WADHAMS WD | 87 | 1 |
| NEW RUSSIA WD | 60 | 0 |
| AUSABLE HEIGHTS WATER SYSTEM | 46 | 3 |
TRI Facilities (4)
| # | Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill | 1.6M lbs |
| 2 | Federal Correctional Institution Ray Brook | 7.4K lbs |
| 3 | Mount Van Hoevenberg Sports Complex | 25 lbs |
| 4 | Olympic Center | 10 lbs |
Cities in Essex (3)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the environmental risk level in Essex, New York? ▼
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.