St Louis, MN

Moderate Risk (51/100)

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 St Louis in Minnesota · Population: 200,056

St Louis, MN is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 22 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 51/100 (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 1.5M 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 39 and a peak AQI of 114 in 2024, with 78% 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
200,056
TRI Facilities
22
Water Systems
29
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
1.5M 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 286 (78%) 77 3 114
2023 221 (61%) 136 6 286
2022 322 (88%) 43 0 75
2021 283 (78%) 72 8 159
2020 279 (76%) 86 1 104
2024 Good Air Quality: 78% of days
Unhealthy days: 3
Median AQI: 39

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 Minnesota, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (29)

System Population Violations
Duluth 86,859 1
Hibbing 16,028 0
Virginia 8,361 0
Hermantown 7,215 0
Chisholm 4,940 0
Eveleth 3,770 1
Proctor 3,099 0
Mountain Iron 2,880 0
Hoyt Lakes 2,020 0
Gilbert 1,829 0
Aurora 1,764 0
White Township 1,559 0
Babbitt 1,379 0
Rice Lake 1,085 0
Buhl 1,000 0
Biwabik 975 4
Cook 574 0
Fayal Township 565 0
Floodwood 501 0
Breitung 446 1
Tower 426 4
Orr 249 0
Kinney 154 0
Meadowlands 135 2
McKinley 110 0
Iron Junction 87 0
MN Correctional Facility - Togo 75 0
Iron Bowl MHP 44 0
Lakeland Terrace Mobile Home Park 42 0

TRI Facilities (22)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Me Global Inc 700.2K lbs
2 Hibbard Renewable Energy Center 284.8K lbs
3 Cirrus Design Corp/cirrus Aircraft 228.5K lbs
4 Mn Twist Drill Aquisition LLC 142.6K lbs
5 Duluth Paper Mill 87.5K lbs
6 Hibbing Renewable Energy Center 74.9K lbs
7 L&m Radiator Inc 9.2K lbs
8 Compass Minerals America Inc 8.0K lbs
9 Detroit Reman-Dmr Electronics 854 lbs
10 Northern Foundry 787 lbs
11 Federal Prison Camp 702 lbs
12 Virginia Public Utilities 316 lbs
13 Dyno Nobel Inc 132 lbs
14 CAST7 LLC 120 lbs
15 Altec Industries Inc. 109 lbs
16 Primary Products Ingredients Americas LLC - Duluth 55 lbs
17 Gerdau Ameristeel US Inc 6 lbs
18 Irathane Systems-Minnesota LLC 1 lbs
19 Austin Powder Mining LLC 0 lbs
20 Lake States Lumber Inc. 0 lbs
21 Hirel Systems LLC 0 lbs
22 Joy Global Surface Mining Inc. 0 lbs

Cities in St Louis (6)

Biwabik
Pop: -
1 facilities · 1 water
Chisholm
Pop: -
1 facilities · 1 water
Hibbing
Pop: -
7 facilities · 1 water
Virginia
Pop: -
2 facilities · 1 water
Duluth
Pop: -
11 facilities · 2 water
St. Louis County
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in St Louis, Minnesota?
St Louis, MN has an environmental risk score of 51/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 22 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 29 water systems on record. 6 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in St Louis?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in St Louis, MN in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in St Louis?
St Louis, MN has 22 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 1.5M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in St Louis?
In 2024, St Louis, MN recorded a median AQI of 39 and a peak AQI of 114. 78% 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 St Louis?
St Louis, MN has 29 EPA-regulated water systems. 6 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 St Louis?
Environmental compliance in St Louis, Minnesota is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the Minnesota 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