Pennington, SD

Moderate Risk (42/100)

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 Pennington in South Dakota · Population: 112,081

Pennington, SD is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 8 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 29 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 42/100 (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 337.0K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 13 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 36 and a peak AQI of 111 in 2024, with 68% 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
112,081
TRI Facilities
8
Water Systems
29
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
337.0K 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 248 (68%) 114 4 111
2023 216 (59%) 140 5 172
2022 238 (66%) 123 2 116
2021 244 (67%) 114 5 202
2020 264 (72%) 102 0 92
2024 Good Air Quality: 68% of days
Unhealthy days: 4
Median AQI: 36

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 South Dakota, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (29)

System Population Violations
RAPID CITY 72,009 0
RAPID VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICT 11,408 0
COLONIAL PINE HILLS SANITARY DISTRIC 1,200 0
HILL CITY 872 4
WALL 699 0
HISEGA MEADOWS WATER INC 491 0
HART RANCH 438 0
PINE GROVE 425 0
SOUTH CANYON COUNTRY ESTATES 420 0
THE RANCH AT BLACK GAP 375 1
KEYSTONE 349 0
HAPPY HOLIDAY RV RESORT 264 1
APPLE SPRINGS SUBDIVISION 180 0
STRATO RIM ESTATES WATER COMPANY 170 0
PONDEROSA RIDGE 90 1
SPEARFISH MEADOWS 87 1
ROCK RIDGE COURT 74 1
SIPHON HILL WATER ASSOCIATION 68 4
ELK CREEK VALLEY VIEW ASSOC 52 1
WEST NIKE SUBDIVISION 50 0
WHISPERING PINES WATER ASSOCIATION 45 0
BOXELDER HIGH COUNTRY ASSOCIATION 45 0
CEDAR GULCH 1 45 5
HIGHLAND HILLS 38 3
HAPPY HOLIDAY WATER ASSOCIATION 35 1
RIMROCK HEIGHTS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATI 35 0
PONDEROSA PARK 31 0
HIDDEN VALLEY WATER ASSOCIATION INC 27 2
DARLINGTON ESTATES 25 1

TRI Facilities (8)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Pete Lien & Sons Inc 193.6K lbs
2 Gcc Dacotah 130.1K lbs
3 Midwest Manufacturing Inc DBA Dakota Panel 11.8K lbs
4 U.S. Dod Usaf, Ellsworth Afb 1.5K lbs
5 Truenorth Steel - Rapid City 79 lbs
6 Forterra Concrete Products - Rapid City 0 lbs
7 Forest Products Distributors Inc 0 lbs
8 Hubbard Feeds Inc 0 lbs

Cities in Pennington (2)

Rapid City
Pop: -
7 facilities · 44 water
Ellsworth Afb
Pop: -
1 facilities · 1 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Pennington, South Dakota?
Pennington, SD has an environmental risk score of 42/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 8 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 29 water systems on record. 13 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Pennington?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Pennington, SD in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Pennington?
Pennington, SD has 8 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 337.0K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Pennington?
In 2024, Pennington, SD recorded a median AQI of 36 and a peak AQI of 111. 68% 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 Pennington?
Pennington, SD has 29 EPA-regulated water systems. 13 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 Pennington?
Environmental compliance in Pennington, South Dakota is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the South Dakota 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