San Benito, CA

Moderate Risk (33/100)

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 San Benito in California · Population: 66,056

San Benito, CA is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 5 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 24 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 33/100 (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 67.4K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 9 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 43 and a peak AQI of 105 in 2024, with 71% 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
66,056
TRI Facilities
5
Water Systems
24
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
67.4K 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 260 (71%) 105 1 105
2023 316 (87%) 48 1 111
2022 297 (81%) 68 0 97
2021 295 (81%) 70 0 100
2020 271 (74%) 78 8 174
2024 Good Air Quality: 71% of days
Unhealthy days: 1
Median AQI: 43

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 (24)

System Population Violations
HOLLISTER, CITY OF 26,017 17
SUNNYSLOPE COUNTY WATER DIST 24,954 0
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CITY OF 2,335 5
THOUSAND TRAILS SAN BENITO PRESERVE 1,017 11
TRES PINOS CWD 350 0
CASA DE FRUTA WATER SYSTEM 250 2
CSA NO. 31 STONEGATE WS 230 3
SAN JUSTO MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 160 1
HOLLISTER RANCH ESTATES 150 8
ROSA MORADA MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 138 0
ASHFORD HIGHLANDS MWC 132 0
DUNNEVILLE ESTATES CSA #50 120 0
MISSION FARM R.V. PARK 110 1
MCMAHON ROAD MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 102 0
COMSTOCK MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 100 0
VINEYARD ESTATES MWC 90 0
CREEKBRIDGE MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 69 0
CASA DE FRUTA ORCHARDS 53 0
VENTURE ESTATES MWC 50 0
SPRINGWOOD ESTATES MWC 50 0
BETABEL RV RESORT 49 1
WHISPERING PINES INN 38 0
LOS MADRONES MWC 36 0
SAN BENITO COUNTY WATER DISTRICT 25 0

TRI Facilities (5)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Fujifilm Electronic Materials USA Inc. 40.8K lbs
2 Trical Inc 15.2K lbs
3 Royal Circuit Solutions Inc. 6.3K lbs
4 Pacific Scientific Energetics Materials Co California 4.8K lbs
5 Pride Conveyance Systems 397 lbs

Cities in San Benito (2)

Hollister
Pop: -
5 facilities · 21 water
Idria
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in San Benito, California?
San Benito, CA has an environmental risk score of 33/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 5 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 24 water systems on record. 9 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in San Benito?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in San Benito, CA in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in San Benito?
San Benito, CA has 5 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 67.4K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in San Benito?
In 2024, San Benito, CA recorded a median AQI of 43 and a peak AQI of 105. 71% 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 San Benito?
San Benito, CA has 24 EPA-regulated water systems. 9 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 San Benito?
Environmental compliance in San Benito, 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

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