Kauai, HI

Low Risk (20/100)

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 Kauai in Hawaii · Population: 73,610

Kauai, HI is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 4 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 16 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 20/100 (Low Risk), calibrated against national distributions for facility density, chemical release volume, Superfund concentration, and water-system health violations.

Industrial disclosures inside the county total 77.8K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 1 water system carries an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 13 and a peak AQI of 38 in 2022, with 100% 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
73,610
TRI Facilities
4
Water Systems
16
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
77.8K lbs

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 90 (100%) 0 0 38
2021 364 (100%) 0 0 47
2020 361 (99%) 4 0 52
2022 Good Air Quality: 100% of days
Median AQI: 13

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 Hawaii, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (16)

System Population Violations
LIHUE-KAPAA 34,854 0
KALAHEO-KOLOA 12,660 0
PRINCEVILLE 6,911 0
KEKAHA-WAIMEA 5,998 0
HANAPEPE-ELEELE 5,592 0
KILAUEA 3,420 0
ANAHOLA 2,473 0
GAY & ROBINSON 1,271 0
HAENA-WAINIHA 833 0
HANALEI 500 0
WAIALUA SUGAR PUMP 2 400 0
ANAHOLA FARM LOTS 385 0
KEALIA 260 0
KAHILI MOUNTAIN PARK 175 0
ANINI 174 0
MOLOAA IRRIGATION COOPERATIVE 100 10

TRI Facilities (4)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Kapaia Power Station 74.3K lbs
2 Port Allen Generating Station 3.3K lbs
3 US Doe Sandia National Laboratories Kauai Test Facility - Sa 182 lbs
4 US Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility 7 lbs

Cities in Kauai (3)

Eleele
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Lihue
Pop: -
1 facilities · 10 water
Kekaha
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Kauai, Hawaii?
Kauai, HI has an environmental risk score of 20/100 (Low Risk), based on 4 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 16 water systems on record. 1 water system have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Kauai?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Kauai, HI in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Kauai?
Kauai, HI has 4 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 77.8K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Kauai?
In 2022, Kauai, HI recorded a median AQI of 13 and a peak AQI of 38. 100% 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 Kauai?
Kauai, HI has 16 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 Kauai?
Environmental compliance in Kauai, Hawaii is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Hawaii 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