Highlands, FL

Moderate Risk (35/100)

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 Highlands in Florida · Population: 103,808

Highlands, FL is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 7 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 20 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 35/100 (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 355.3K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 4 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 35 and a peak AQI of 77 in 2024, with 92% 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
103,808
TRI Facilities
7
Water Systems
20
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
355.3K 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 333 (92%) 30 0 77
2023 345 (96%) 14 1 108
2022 337 (97%) 11 1 112
2021 344 (96%) 14 0 93
2020 345 (96%) 13 0 74
2024 Good Air Quality: 92% of days
Median AQI: 35

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 Florida, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (20)

System Population Violations
SEBRING WATER ; SEWER SYSTEM 44,900 14
AVON PARK, CITY OF 19,361 0
SUN N LAKES OF SEBRING WATER 7,710 0
LAKE PLACID, TOWN OF 4,692 0
SPRING LAKE IMPROVEMENT DISTIRCT 4,030 0
PLACID LAKES UTILITIES, INC 3,307 13
TOMOKA HEIGHTS 2,802 0
HIGHWAY PARK WTP 977 0
TROPICAL HARBOR ESTATES 844 0
LP WATER WORKS INC. (THE WOODLANDS) 800 0
LAKE BONNET VILLAGE 450 0
MARANATHA VILLAGE 400 0
LAKE PLACID CAMPGROUND 288 1
HIDDEN ACRES ESTATES 250 58
THE PALMS ESTATES WTP 200 0
MEADOWLAKE SUBDIVISION 146 0
DEEANN LAKEFRONT ESTATES 130 0
PICCIOLA LANDING 125 0
MALLARD MOBILE HOME PARK 94 0
EAGLE'S NEST ESTATES 50 0

TRI Facilities (7)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Alpha General Services LLC 140.0K lbs
2 Dod, Usaf, Avon Park Air Force Range 85.8K lbs
3 Turf Care Supply Llc. 82.2K lbs
4 E-Stone USA Corp 47.4K lbs
5 Heartland Metals Inc 9 lbs
6 Howard Fertilizer & Chemical Co Inc 0 lbs
7 Wedgworth's Inc Lake Placid 0 lbs

Cities in Highlands (2)

Lake Placid
Pop: -
3 facilities · 11 water
Sebring
Pop: -
3 facilities · 6 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Highlands, Florida?
Highlands, FL has an environmental risk score of 35/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 7 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 20 water systems on record. 4 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Highlands?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Highlands, FL in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Highlands?
Highlands, FL has 7 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 355.3K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Highlands?
In 2024, Highlands, FL recorded a median AQI of 35 and a peak AQI of 77. 92% 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 Highlands?
Highlands, FL has 20 EPA-regulated water systems. 4 systems have 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 Highlands?
Environmental compliance in Highlands, Florida is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Florida 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 Editorial