Polk, IA
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 Polk in Iowa · Population: 497,441
Polk, IA is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 36 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 36 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 63/100 (High Risk), calibrated against national distributions for facility density, chemical release volume, Superfund concentration, and water-system health violations.
Industrial disclosures inside the county total 3.5M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 6 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 45 and a peak AQI of 93 in 2024, with 67% 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 | 247 (67%) | 119 | 0 | 93 |
| 2023 | 168 (46%) | 182 | 12 | 166 |
| 2022 | 273 (75%) | 92 | 0 | 89 |
| 2021 | 227 (62%) | 137 | 1 | 110 |
| 2020 | 261 (71%) | 103 | 0 | 199 |
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 Iowa, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.
Water Systems (36)
| System | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| DES MOINES WATER WORKS | 246,055 | 2 |
| ANKENY, CITY OF | 76,207 | 0 |
| WEST DES MOINES WATER WORKS | 68,723 | 0 |
| URBANDALE WATER UTILITY | 45,605 | 0 |
| JOHNSTON MUNICIPAL WATER SUPPLY | 24,064 | 0 |
| ALTOONA WATER SUPPLY | 19,565 | 3 |
| CLIVE WATER DEPARTMENT | 19,010 | 0 |
| GRIMES WATER SUPPLY | 15,392 | 0 |
| BONDURANT MUNI WATER SUPPLY | 9,393 | 0 |
| SOUTHEAST POLK RWD | 7,565 | 0 |
| POLK CITY WATER SUPPLY | 6,533 | 0 |
| MITCHELLVILLE WATER SUPPLY | 2,515 | 2 |
| PARK VIEW VILLAGE | 1,800 | 0 |
| GRANGER MUNI WATER SUPPLY | 1,654 | 0 |
| SLATER MUNI WATER DEPT | 1,548 | 3 |
| CAMP DODGE WATER SUPPLY | 1,169 | 0 |
| ELKHART WATER SUPPLY | 882 | 0 |
| MAXWELL WATER DEPARTMENT | 859 | 0 |
| VAL VISTA ESTATES | 553 | 0 |
| SOUTHWEST POLK WATER SERVICE, INC. | 393 | 0 |
| HICKORY HOLLOW WATER SERVICE, INC. | 375 | 0 |
| PLEASANT VALLEY MANUFACTURED HOME COMM | 350 | 0 |
| GREENWOOD ACRES WATER CO. | 325 | 0 |
| MINGO WATER DEPARTMENT | 316 | 0 |
| SHELDAHL WATER SUPPLY | 307 | 4 |
| DMWW-GREENBRIER ESTATES | 300 | 0 |
| OAKWOOD PARK WATER INC. | 218 | 0 |
| RIVER OAKS DEVELOPMENT | 215 | 0 |
| WILDWOOD WATER CORPORATION | 170 | 0 |
| GRIMES MHP MHC | 163 | 0 |
| CASTLE CREEK MEMORY CARE | 86 | 1 |
| DEER HUNTERS RUN | 78 | 0 |
| CIWW (DMWW) | 25 | 0 |
| CIWW (GRIMES) | 25 | 0 |
| CIWW ( POLK CITY) | 25 | 0 |
| CIWW (WDMWW) | 25 | 0 |
TRI Facilities (36)
Cities in Polk (10)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the environmental risk level in Polk, Iowa? ▼
Are there Superfund sites in Polk? ▼
How many toxic release facilities are in Polk? ▼
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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.