Merced, CA
Environmental data for Merced in California
Merced, CA is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 16 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilityies, 0 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 33/100 (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 1.5M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 0 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 52 and a peak AQI of 151 in 2024, with 46% 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 | 168 (46%) | 163 | 34 | 151 |
| 2023 | 171 (47%) | 179 | 15 | 129 |
| 2022 | 140 (38%) | 212 | 13 | 143 |
| 2021 | 155 (42%) | 177 | 31 | 166 |
| 2020 | 131 (36%) | 203 | 17 | 194 |
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 detailed air quality monitoring data, pollutant breakdowns, and metro-level AQI trends, see Air Quality in California on PlainAirData.
TRI Facilities (16)
| # | Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foster Farms Livingston Complex | 599.5K lbs |
| 2 | Saputo Cheese USA Inc | 329.4K lbs |
| 3 | Fineline Industries LLC | 278.7K lbs |
| 4 | California Dairies Inc Los Banos | 97.7K lbs |
| 5 | Hilmar Cheese Co | 49.4K lbs |
| 6 | Greif Packaging LLC | 45.9K lbs |
| 7 | Dole Packaged Foods LLC | 41.1K lbs |
| 8 | E & J Gallo Winery | 40.6K lbs |
| 9 | Qg Printing II LLC | 30.4K lbs |
| 10 | Mb Sports | 15.8K lbs |
| 11 | Atwater Federal Prison | 4.3K lbs |
| 12 | Ingomar Packing | 3.3K lbs |
| 13 | O'Keeffe | 6 lbs |
| 14 | Santa Fe Materials Winton Plant | 0 lbs |
| 15 | Gallo Cheese Plant | 0 lbs |
| 16 | Foster Farms Collier Complex | 0 lbs |
Cities in Merced (8)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the environmental risk level in Merced, California? ▼
Are there Superfund sites in Merced? ▼
How many toxic release facilities are in Merced? ▼
What is the air quality in Merced? ▼
Is the drinking water safe in Merced? ▼
What environmental agencies cover Merced? ▼
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.