New Castle, DE
Transparent derived index from EPA TRI / SDWIS / Superfund extracts: not an official EPA rating. Fixed caps: facilities ≤25 pts (50+ = max), log10 releases ≤25 pts, Superfund ≤25 pts (5/site), health-violation systems ≤15 pts (3/system), high-chemical facilities ≤10 pts. Bands: High ≥60, Moderate ≥30. See methodology. This is a different measure than the EJ Screening score for this county, which ranks it by percentile against other tracked counties rather than against these fixed caps.
Environmental data for New Castle in Delaware · Population: 573,030
TRI sites such as Delaware City Refinery; Sun Chemical; Croda Inc; SDWIS systems such as WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT; VEOLIA WATER DELAWARE, INC; NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT; NPL sites such as Army Creek Landfill; Delaware City PVC Plant; Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill anchor New Castle, DE's EPA extract. Derived burden score 91/100 (High Risk) uses fixed national caps on density, log release volume, Superfund count, and health-flagged systems - not an official EPA rating.
Health-flagged SDWIS rows in New Castle include WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT; NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT; ELKTON WEST, while Delaware City Refinery leads reported TRI pounds among local Form R filers. AQS median AQI 43 / peak 119 in 2024.
Burden score 91/100 (High Risk) is the only weighted composite on this page. The tables below list every TRI facility, SDWIS system, and Superfund site EPA has on record for New Castle -- not just the names called out above -- reproducing the disclosure history as filed, not a current-safety verdict. Extract current as of 2026-08-25.
Release-over-release change
What changed for New Castle, DE: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year
Same facilities, both years
-11.5%
27 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023
Whole inventory
-11.5%
5.5 million lb → 4.9 million lb, every facility that filed
- New Castle, DE's total reported releases fell from 5.5 million lb in 2022 to 4.9 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- New Castle, DE's land releases fell from 2.0 thousand lb in 2022 to 1.4 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- New Castle, DE's off-site transfers fell from 179.1 thousand lb in 2022 to 135.2 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- New Castle, DE's water releases fell from 4.9 million lb in 2022 to 4.4 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
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 | 246 (67%) | 116 | 4 | 119 |
| 2023 | 173 (47%) | 184 | 5 | 282 |
| 2022 | 208 (57%) | 157 | 0 | 93 |
| 2021 | 195 (53%) | 166 | 4 | 144 |
| 2020 | 231 (63%) | 133 | 2 | 105 |
Source: 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 Delaware, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.
Water Systems (35)
| System | System pop (SDWIS) | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| WILMINGTON WATER DEPARTMENT | 107,976 | 1 |
| VEOLIA WATER DELAWARE, INC | 100,495 | 0 |
| NEWARK WATER DEPARTMENT | 40,000 | 1 |
| MIDDLETOWN WATER DEPARTMENT | 17,700 | 0 |
| MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMISSION | 5,549 | 0 |
| ELKTON WEST | 3,500 | 1 |
| WILLOW GROVE MILL | 3,090 | 0 |
| MOUNTAIN HILL WATER COMPANY | 2,154 | 0 |
| PARKSIDE | 1,467 | 0 |
| SUNLAKE TERRACE WATER SYSTEMS | 1,000 | 1 |
| PINE HILLS | 953 | 0 |
| DOVE RUN | 909 | 0 |
| VILLAGEBROOK | 847 | 0 |
| PORT DEPOSIT | 725 | 1 |
| WINTERTHUR | 687 | 0 |
| HUNTERS RUN | 683 | 0 |
| HARBOR VIEW | 437 | 1 |
| PARKWOOD ESTATES | 430 | 0 |
| CARPENTERS POINT WATER CO. | 400 | 0 |
| KINGSMILL | 381 | 0 |
| ST ANDREWS APARTMENTS | 360 | 0 |
| ASCOT LANDING SUBDIVISION | 338 | 0 |
| WHISPERING PINES MOBILE HOME PARK | 325 | 4 |
| CECIL WOODS MOBILE HOME PARK WTP | 285 | 0 |
| ST ANDREWS APARTMENT NEW ADDITION | 272 | 0 |
| GLASGOW PINES II | 235 | 0 |
| MERIDIAN CROSSING APARTMENTS | 220 | 0 |
| SOUTH ASHMERE WATER ASSOCIATION INC | 150 | 0 |
| NORTHWOOD MOUNTAIN VIEW MHP | 148 | 0 |
| ST ANDREWS SINGLE FAMILY HOMES | 120 | 0 |
| MT PLEASANT MHP, LLC | 117 | 0 |
| ROUTE 7 DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM | 100 | 0 |
| ARTESIAN WATER PA INC | 95 | 0 |
| CHESTNUT POINT ESTATES WTP | 82 | 0 |
| CARPENTERS ROW | 60 | 0 |
TRI Facilities (35)
Superfund Sites (15)
| Site Name | Status | HRS Score |
|---|---|---|
| Army Creek Landfill | NPL Site | 69.92 |
| Delaware City PVC Plant | NPL Site | 30.55 |
| Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill | NPL Site | 46.60 |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. (Newport Pigment Plant Landfill) | NPL Site | 51.91 |
| East Basin Road Groundwater | NPL Site | 50.00 |
| Halby Chemical Co. | NPL Site | 30.90 |
| Harvey & Knott Drum, Inc. | NPL Site | 30.77 |
| Hockessin Groundwater | NPL Site | 50.00 |
| Koppers Co., Inc. (Newport Plant) | NPL Site | 33.56 |
| New Castle Spill | Deleted NPL Site | 38.33 |
| New Castle Steel | Deleted NPL Site | 30.40 |
| Newark South Ground Water Plume | NPL Site | 50.00 |
| Sealand Limited | Deleted NPL Site | 33.10 |
| Standard Chlorine of Delaware, Inc. | NPL Site | 35.42 |
| Tybouts Corner Landfill | NPL Site | 0.00 |
Cities in New Castle (14)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the environmental risk level in New Castle, Delaware? ▼
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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.