PlainEnviro

Santa Barbara, CA

Moderate Risk (38/100)

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 Santa Barbara in California · Population: 443,975

Santa Barbara, CA is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 12 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 60 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 38/100 (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 219.3K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 16 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 49 and a peak AQI of 146 in 2024, with 53% 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
443,975
TRI Facilities
12
Water Systems
60
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
219.3K 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 193 (53%) 171 2 146
2023 232 (64%) 133 0 95
2022 198 (54%) 167 0 93
2021 240 (66%) 124 1 101
2020 199 (54%) 154 9 174
2024 Good Air Quality: 53% of days
Unhealthy days: 2
Median AQI: 49

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 (60)

System Population Violations
CITY OF SANTA MARIA UTILITIES DEPARTMENT 109,477 0
GOLETA WATER DISTRICT 84,462 0
LOMPOC-CITY WATER UTILITY DIV 40,473 0
CARPINTERIA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT 15,996 0
AMERICAN WATER O&M, LLC - VSFB 14,971 1
MONTECITO WATER DIST 11,962 0
GUADALUPE WATER DEPARTMENT 8,897 0
VANDENBERG VILLAGE COMM. SERV. DIST. 7,308 0
SANTA YNEZ RIVER WATER CONS. DIST. ID#1 7,022 1
SOLVANG WATER DIVISION 6,126 1
CITY OF BUELLTON WATER DIVISION 5,161 0
LA CUMBRE MUTUAL WATER CO 4,861 0
MISSION HILLS CSD 3,600 0
LOS ALAMOS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT 1,534 0
LOS PRIETOS COMPLEX 845 0
CUYAMA COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT 700 0
SAN VICENTE WATER COMPANY 550 0
EL CAPITAN MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 325 1
WOODSTOCK RANCH 325 0
SANTA YNEZ RANCHO ESTATES 304 0
SKYLINE PARK 295 0
RANCHO MARCELINO WATER 240 0
CASMALIA COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT 234 0
MAGIC MOUNTAIN MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 221 6
OAK TRAIL ESTATES 211 0
LAS POSITAS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 200 0
ELLWOOD MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 186 1
BERKSHIRE ESTATES 180 0
PAINTED CAVE 160 2
FOSTER ROAD MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 150 0
MEADOWLARK RANCHES MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 150 0
MIDLAND SCHOOL 150 2
EAST VALLEY FARMS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 142 0
SISQUOC 135 0
RANCHO YNECITA 129 0
SAN MARCOS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 120 0
BOBCAT SPRINGS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 115 0
OAK TRAIL RANCH 102 0
VISTA HILLS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 75 3
MONTECITO SEA MEADOWS 70 0
LAS COLINAS ROAD & WATER ASSN 70 0
ROLLING HILLS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 66 2
CACHUMA VILLAGE 60 0
VIEJA MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 60 0
SANTA RITA WATER 59 19
LINGATE LANE MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 55 1
ALEGRIA DOMESTIC MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 54 0
WALKING M RANCHES 54 0
ESTERINA PROPERTIES 50 1
AAA KINDNESS CARE HOME 45 2
SAN AUGUSTINE MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 43 0
RAY WATER COMPANY 40 3
EL RANCHO TAJIGUAS 40 0
ROSARIO PARK 38 0
SANTA ANITA MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 38 0
CHALK HILL ESTATES HOA 38 0
MESA HILLS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY 34 0
JONATA HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION 30 5
CACHUMA PROJECT 0 0
CENTRAL COAST WATER AUTHORITY 0 0

TRI Facilities (12)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Okonite Co Inc 120.4K lbs
2 The Pictsweet Co - Santa Maria Ca Plant 63.6K lbs
3 US Dod Usaf Vandenberg Afb 12.0K lbs
4 Fcc Lompoc 9.4K lbs
5 Raytheon Vision Systems 7.6K lbs
6 Raytheon Vision Systems 3.8K lbs
7 Nusil Technology LLC 2.3K lbs
8 Microdyn-Nadir Corp 255 lbs
9 Uscg Moorings Santa Barbara 24 lbs
10 Cemex Santa Barbara Plant 0 lbs
11 Calportland Co Garey Plant 0 lbs
12 Calportland Co Santa Maria Plant 0 lbs

Cities in Santa Barbara (6)

Carpinteria
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water
Santa Barbara
Pop: -
2 facilities · 16 water
Goleta
Pop: -
2 facilities · 3 water
Vandenberg Afb
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Santa Maria
Pop: -
4 facilities · 7 water
Lompoc
Pop: -
2 facilities · 5 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Santa Barbara, California? ▼
Santa Barbara, CA has an environmental risk score of 38/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 12 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 60 water systems on record. 16 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Santa Barbara? ▼
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Santa Barbara, CA in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Santa Barbara? ▼
Santa Barbara, CA has 12 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 219.3K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Santa Barbara? ▼
In 2024, Santa Barbara, CA recorded a median AQI of 49 and a peak AQI of 146. 53% 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 Santa Barbara? ▼
Santa Barbara, CA has 60 EPA-regulated water systems. 16 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 Santa Barbara? ▼
Environmental compliance in Santa Barbara, 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 Guides

Understanding EPA Data
How EPA collects and publishes environmental data
Environmental Justice
Who lives near polluters and environmental hazards
How to Check Environmental Quality
Step-by-step guide to checking your local environment

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

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