Salt Lake, UT

High Risk (75/100)

A PlainEnviro-computed score from reported facility/violation counts, not an official EPA rating, health forecast, or population-adjusted rate. See methodology. This is a different measure than the EJ Screening score for this county, which ranks it by percentile against every other tracked county rather than against fixed national thresholds.

Environmental data for Salt Lake in Utah · Population: 1,184,689

Salt Lake, UT is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 50 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 42 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 75/100 (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 922.6M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 17 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 54 and a peak AQI of 230 in 2024, with 41% 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
1,184,689
TRI Facilities
50
Water Systems
42
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
922.6M 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 150 (41%) 173 38 230
2023 149 (41%) 200 15 154
2022 101 (28%) 236 28 147
2021 122 (33%) 195 39 177
2020 143 (39%) 200 21 214
2024 Good Air Quality: 41% of days
Unhealthy days: 43
Median AQI: 54

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 Utah, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (42)

System Population Violations
SALT LAKE CITY WATER SYSTEM 381,174 2
WEST JORDAN CITY WATER SYSTEM 117,025 2
SANDY CITY WATER SYSTEM 99,750 1
JORDAN VALLEY WCD 99,335 0
SOUTH JORDAN CITY 87,356 0
TAYLORSVILLE-BENNION ID 67,098 0
HERRIMAN CITY MUNICIPAL WATER DEPARTMENT 60,000 2
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 57,080 2
KEARNS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT 56,700 9
MURRAY CITY WATER SYSTEM 38,723 4
WATERPRO INC 33,100 0
MAGNA WATER DISTRICT 32,100 1
DRAPER CITY WATER SYSTEM 23,205 0
BLUFFDALE WATER SYSTEM 20,000 0
WHITE CITY WID 15,800 0
HOLLIDAY WATER COMPANY 15,000 2
ALTA TOWN WATER SYSTEM 5,228 0
SL COUNTY SERVICE AREA NO 3 - SNOWBIRD 5,110 0
MOUNTAIN GREEN MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 3,500 0
USCF - SLC 3,100 0
SUMMIT VISTA WATER COMPANY 3,000 0
COPPERTON IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT 990 1
HI-COUNTRY NUMBER 2 722 4
SILVER LAKE COMPANY 522 0
SOUTH BLUFF MHP 507 0
WASATCH PEAKS RANCH 490 0
CEDARFIELD MOBILE HOME PARK 480 0
HI-COUNTRY ESTATES #1 373 13
SILVER FORK PIPELINE CORP 300 0
SWISS ALPINE WATER CO 300 5
PINE EDGE MHP 300 0
MUIRHOUSE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION 280 0
WEBB WELL WATER USERS 250 0
PINE MEADOWS PUD 224 1
MARION MOBILE HOME VILLAGE 220 0
BOUNDARY SPRING WATER CO 150 0
COUNTRYSIDE ESTATES MHC 96 1
KOA OF ELY CAMPGROUND 80 0
WOODENSHOE WATER COMPANY 76 5
MOUNTAIN VALLEY WATER CO 65 0
M & J TRAILER HOME COMMUNITY 27 7
METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT 0 0

TRI Facilities (50)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Kennecott Utah Copper Mine Concentrators & Power Plant 781.4M lbs
2 Kennecott Utah Copper Smelter & Refinery 135.3M lbs
3 Hexcel Corp 1.6M lbs
4 Chevron Products Co - Salt Lake Refinery 1.3M lbs
5 Asahi Refining USA Inc 969.1K lbs
6 Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC - Slc 668.7K lbs
7 Danone US Llc. 176.5K lbs
8 Easton Technical Products 155.3K lbs
9 Edo Corp Western Div 154.6K lbs
10 Midwestern Fabricators Inc 125.6K lbs
11 Weir Minerals Linatex- Salt Lake City 116.4K lbs
12 U.S. Army National Guard Camp Williams Ranges 99.2K lbs
13 Pioneer Metal Finishing LLC 57.7K lbs
14 Dadi Bathware 57.7K lbs
15 Staker & Parson- California Avenue Facility 56.0K lbs
16 Cytozyme Laboratories Inc 54.6K lbs
17 Northrop Grumman Systems Corp - Bacchus 47.7K lbs
18 Quality Steel Corp of Ms 40.5K lbs
19 Steel Coatings Inc 39.5K lbs
20 Varex Imaging Corp 36.1K lbs
21 Staker & Parson Cos Beck North Ready Mix & Asphalt 35.0K lbs
22 Dfa Dairy Brands Fluid LLC DBA Meadow Gold Dairy 25.2K lbs
23 Thatcher Co 18.4K lbs
24 Chelated Minerals Corp 16.3K lbs
25 Precision Technology Inc 7.7K lbs
26 Reladyne West LLC 7.5K lbs
27 Jordan River Galvanizing 7.0K lbs
28 Interstate Brick 6.9K lbs
29 Dadi Bathware 4.3K lbs
30 Honeywell International Inc 3.2K lbs
31 Bd Medical 2.9K lbs
32 Brody Chemical 2.5K lbs
33 Biomerieux 2.4K lbs
34 North Salt Lake Batch Plant 2.1K lbs
35 West Valley 1.7K lbs
36 Actavis Laboratories Ut Inc 1.5K lbs
37 Edwards Lifesciences 1.4K lbs
38 Granite Construction Co-Cottonwood Asphalt Plant Faci 1.4K lbs
39 West Jordan Batch Plant 1.4K lbs
40 Airgas USA LLC 1.4K lbs
41 Materials Packaging Corp 1.3K lbs
42 Univar Solutions Salt Lake City 824 lbs
43 Parker Hannifin Corp Eps Div 730 lbs
44 Brenntag Pacific Inc 437 lbs
45 Sterigenics-Salt Lake City Facility 359 lbs
46 Trillium Pumps USA Inc 154 lbs
47 Thermo Fluids Inc. - Salt Lake 76 lbs
48 Henkel US Operation Corp 31 lbs
49 Biomerieux 26 lbs
50 Blanchard Metals Processing Co 25 lbs

Cities in Salt Lake (13)

Bingham Canyon
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Magna
Pop: -
2 facilities · 1 water
Riverton
Pop: -
3 facilities · 1 water
Draper
Pop: -
2 facilities · 3 water
Salt Lake City
Pop: -
49 facilities · 9 water
Midvale
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Bluffdale
Pop: -
1 facilities · 4 water
Sandy
Pop: -
1 facilities · 9 water
West Jordan
Pop: -
6 facilities · 3 water
West Valley City
Pop: -
6 facilities · 0 water
Herriman
Pop: -
1 facilities · 3 water
Murray City
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water
Sandy City
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Salt Lake, Utah?
Salt Lake, UT has an environmental risk score of 75/100 (High Risk), based on 50 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 42 water systems on record. 17 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Salt Lake?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Salt Lake, UT in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Salt Lake?
Salt Lake, UT has 50 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 922.6M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Salt Lake?
In 2024, Salt Lake, UT recorded a median AQI of 54 and a peak AQI of 230. 41% 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 Salt Lake?
Salt Lake, UT has 42 EPA-regulated water systems. 17 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 Salt Lake?
Environmental compliance in Salt Lake, Utah is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Utah 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