PlainEnviro

Monterey, CA

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 Monterey in California · Population: 435,834

Monterey, CA is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 7 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 128 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 153.2K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 53 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 39 and a peak AQI of 71 in 2024, with 80% 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
435,834
TRI Facilities
7
Water Systems
128
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
153.2K 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 292 (80%) 74 0 71
2023 274 (75%) 90 1 115
2022 299 (82%) 66 0 80
2021 261 (72%) 104 0 80
2020 259 (71%) 92 4 275
2024 Good Air Quality: 80% of days
Median AQI: 39

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 California, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (128)

System Population Violations
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - MONTEREY 92,450 0
ALCO WATER SERVICE 56,253 0
MARINA COAST WATER DISTRICT 38,377 0
SOLEDAD, CITY OF 19,455 0
GREENFIELD, CITY OF 18,967 0
GONZALES, CITY OF 8,327 0
CASTROVILLE COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT 7,515 0
CORRECTIONAL TRAINING FACILITY - SOLEDAD 4,269 0
AROMAS WATER DISTRICT 2,988 0
SALINAS VALLEY STATE PRISON 2,930 0
SEASIDE MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM 2,800 0
SAN MIGUEL COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT 2,600 0
LITTLE BEAR WATER COMPANY 2,327 1
NACIMIENTO WATER COMPANY 2,181 65
CAL AM - WEST SAN MARTIN 1,173 1
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - CHUALAR 1,139 0
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - HIDDEN HILLS 1,106 0
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - TORO 1,065 0
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - AMBLER PARK 980 0
SANTA LUCIA PRESERVE WS 966 0
NEPENTHE WS 618 0
CSP-PFEIFFER BIG SUR 585 0
SAN ARDO WD 575 1
GABILAN WC 535 0
POST RANCH INN WS 416 0
CANADA WOODS WC 356 0
SUNSET WEST COMMUNITY LLC 350 0
TWIN VALLEY INC 317 57
SAN LUCAS COUNTY WATER DISTRICT 315 6
PRUNEDALE MWC 277 12
PEDRAZZI MWC 273 0
SAN JERARDO COOP WS 249 0
ESALEN INSTITUTE WS 246 0
MONTEREY DUNES MWA 243 0
COUNTRYSIDE ESTATES MWC 243 1
PARADISE LAKE MUTUAL WATER CO. 213 0
MORO RD WS #09 210 78
PARADISE RD WS #09 206 1
COLONIAL OAK WC INC 198 6
VENTANA BIG SUR INN WS 193 0
ROLLING HILLS RANCHO WA 185 0
FERNWOOD WS 184 0
FOOTHILL ESTATES WS 183 0
LAGUNA SECA WC 162 55
MERRILL GARDENS IRIS CANYON WS 161 0
TASSAJARA SPRINGS WS 150 0
CALIFORNIA ORCHARD WS 150 0
EL CAMINO WC INC 133 60
ARROYO CENTER WC 130 13
COASTLANDS MWS (POST CREEK) 129 1
VALLEY CREEK MHP WS 129 39
ASSISI MWC 126 1
PRINCES CAMP RESORT WS 126 0
CLEAR RIDGE WA 123 15
DOLAN RD MWC 120 0
PESANTE RD WS #02 120 0
BLUFFS WS 120 0
HIDDEN CANYON RANCH MWC 116 0
VALLEY OAKS MHP WS 108 0
OAK HEIGHTS W & R CO INC 105 22
ASOLEADO MWC 101 0
RANCHO BORROMEO MWC 100 0
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - RALPH LANE 96 0
LOMAS DEL SOL MWS 93 0
SAN MIGUEL WS #22 93 1
OAK MANOR WS 92 1
VISTA DEL TORO WS 92 55
MCCOY RD WS #05 92 43
ROBLEY PROPERTY MWS 92 0
ENCINAL RD WS #01 91 83
SPRING CANYON WA 90 12
MESA DEL TORO MWC 90 0
TULARCITOS MWC 90 0
HIDDEN VALLEY WA 87 3
IVERSON & JACKS APTS WS 86 0
FALLON ROAD LABOR HOUSING 84 0
BLACKIE RD WS #05 78 2
APPLE AVE WS #02 75 1
HARBOR VIEW WA 75 1
GLENN AVE WS #01 73 1
WOODSIDE WA 73 0
LOS CARNEROS MWA 70 2
ARROYO SECO ESTATES MWS 70 1
SAN VICENTE MWC 69 10
MORO COJO MWA 67 1
MURPHY HILL WS #02 66 1
VIERRA KNOLLS MWC 66 1
HIDDEN VIEWS MHP WS 65 0
GARLEN COURT WS 65 6
RIVER RD WS #25 65 46
VIERRA MEADOWS MWC 65 2
LEAFWOOD COMMUNITY WA 64 1
PIONEER PLACE MWS 64 0
Z RANCH MWC 62 0
NORTH SHORE ESTATES WS 60 0
THIMIO MWC 59 20
RANCHO CHAPARRAL MWC 58 13
TIERRA MEADOWS HOA WS 58 0
WOODLAND HEIGHTS MWC 57 0
THE WILLOWS RESORT 57 5
JOST POST WA 56 0
DESMOND RD WS #03 56 0
GREEN ACRES WA 56 0
DEL MONTE FARMS RD WS #03 55 0
CACHAGUA MUTUAL WS (#4) 55 0
CORDA RD WS 54 8
TIERRA VISTA MWC 54 19
PESANTE RD WS #06 50 1
SAN JUAN RD WS #01 49 0
TIERRA VERDE MWC 48 0
PARADISE RD WS #21 48 1
FOOTHILL WA 46 1
ECHO VALLEY RD WS #05 45 0
MOUNT TORO RANCHOS MWA 45 0
NEW CAMALDOLI HERMITAGE WS 44 0
PARADISE RD WS #05 42 0
BRANDON CREEK MWS 41 2
CALERA CANYON HEIGHTS HOA 40 0
BERRY DR WS #02 40 0
ROYAL SIERRA ESTATES WS 36 16
PINE ST WS #01 36 0
OUTLOOK WA 35 0
PARTINGTON MWC 35 14
WILLIAMS - RC FARMS WS 35 1
AROMAS HILLS MUTUAL WATER ASSOCIATION 33 4
ORCHARD LN WS #02 32 0
CAL AM WATER COMPANY - GARRAPATA 30 0
BRADLEY-LOCKWOOD RD WS 25 0

TRI Facilities (7)

# Facility Total Releases
1 U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hunter Liggett Ranges 133.5K lbs
2 Lhoist North America Nativadad Plant 19.4K lbs
3 Fujifilm Electronic Materials USA Inc. 302 lbs
4 Granite Rock Co Monterey Branch BR341 0 lbs
5 Granite Rock Co Salinas Concrete 0 lbs
6 Growers Ice Co 0 lbs
7 Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc 0 lbs

Cities in Monterey (5)

Salinas
Pop: -
3 facilities · 56 water
Jolon
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Seaside
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water
Soledad
Pop: -
1 facilities · 6 water
Castroville
Pop: -
1 facilities · 4 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Monterey, California? ▼
Monterey, CA has an environmental risk score of 35/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 7 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 128 water systems on record. 53 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Monterey? ▼
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Monterey, CA in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Monterey? ▼
Monterey, CA has 7 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 153.2K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Monterey? ▼
In 2024, Monterey, CA recorded a median AQI of 39 and a peak AQI of 71. 80% 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 Monterey? ▼
Monterey, CA has 128 EPA-regulated water systems. 53 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 Monterey? ▼
Environmental compliance in Monterey, California is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the California 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

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