PlainEnviro

Kay, OK

Moderate Risk (46/100)

A PlainEnviro-computed score from reported facility/violation counts, not an official EPA rating, health forecast, or population-adjusted rate. See methodology. This is a different measure than the EJ Screening score for this county, which ranks it by percentile against every other tracked county rather than against fixed national thresholds.

Environmental data for Kay in Oklahoma · Population: 43,731

Kay, OK is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 10 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 11 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 46/100 (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 11.4M 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 42 and a peak AQI of 193 in 2024, with 63% 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
43,731
TRI Facilities
10
Water Systems
11
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
11.4M 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 223 (63%) 128 4 193
2023 172 (51%) 162 1 122
2022 225 (62%) 136 0 93
2021 167 (47%) 178 8 168
2020 171 (47%) 193 2 113
2024 Good Air Quality: 63% of days
Unhealthy days: 5
Median AQI: 42

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 Oklahoma, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (11)

System Population Violations
BLACKWELL MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY 7,668 56
TONKAWA 3,299 2
NEWKIRK 2,243 1
KAY COUNTY RURAL WATER DISTRICT 7 920 18
KAY CO RWD #5 (DALE WATER CORP) 765 65
Tonkawa Tribe Of Oklahoma 400 0
KAW CITY WATER AUTHORITY 372 4
Ponca Tribe Of Oklahoma 360 2
NOBLE CO RWD #3 250 16
BRAMAN 244 17
KAY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 2 0

TRI Facilities (10)

# Facility Total Releases
1 A-Line Tds Inc. 8.1M lbs
2 Phillips 66 Ponca City Site 2.0M lbs
3 Jupiter Sulphur LLC 1.0M lbs
4 Air System Components LP 190.2K lbs
5 Mertz Manufacturing Inc 49.8K lbs
6 Continental Carbon Co Ponca City Ok Plant 30.9K lbs
7 Evans & Associates Construction Co Inc 0 lbs
8 Cfm Corp 0 lbs
9 Parrish Enterprises (dba Oklahoma Investment Casting Co) 0 lbs
10 Tonkawa Foundry Inc 0 lbs

Cities in Kay (3)

Ponca City
Pop: -
6 facilities · 7 water
Blackwell
Pop: -
2 facilities · 3 water
Tonkawa
Pop: -
2 facilities · 2 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Kay, Oklahoma? ▼
Kay, OK has an environmental risk score of 46/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 10 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 11 water systems on record. 9 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Kay? ▼
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Kay, OK in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Kay? ▼
Kay, OK has 10 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 11.4M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Kay? ▼
In 2024, Kay, OK recorded a median AQI of 42 and a peak AQI of 193. 63% 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 Kay? ▼
Kay, OK has 11 EPA-regulated water systems. 9 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 Kay? ▼
Environmental compliance in Kay, Oklahoma is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Oklahoma 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.

Related

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