Northwest Arctic Borough, AK
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2023 Toxics Release Inventory, Safe Drinking Water Information System, and Superfund National Priorities List, this Environmental Justice Screening Report covers Northwest Arctic Borough, AK (population 7,611).
According to EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL extracts, Northwest Arctic Borough, AK has an environmental burden score of 78/100 (grade D), ranking #19 of 500 counties in this sample. Underlying disclosure counts: 2 TRI facilities releasing 3344.3M lbs, 655 health-based SDWIS violation rows, and 0 Superfund sites. The score is a percentile of federal disclosure footprints, not a diagnosis of current community health harm.
This report synthesizes four indicator layers into a single burden score for Northwest Arctic Borough, AK: Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) volume, Safe Drinking Water Act health violations, Superfund National Priorities List presence, and carcinogen-releasing facility density. The county's overall score is 78/100 (grade D), ranking #19 of 500 counties analyzed in the current dataset.
Underlying values: 2 TRI-reporting facilities releasing 3344.3M lbs of disclosed toxics; 655 health-based SDWIS violations across the county's water systems; 0 Superfund NPL sites; and 2 facilities reporting carcinogenic chemicals.
Transparent derived index from EPA TRI / SDWIS / Superfund extracts: not an official EPA rating. Each of up to 500 counties is percentile-ranked on four rates (toxic lbs per capita 35%, health-based SDWIS rows per water system 25%, Superfund sites per 100k residents 20%, carcinogen-facility share 20%), then weighted. Population-less counties take a neutral 50th percentile on the per-capita indicators. See methodology.
A high burden grade does not by itself establish current health harm; it documents the cumulative regulatory and disclosure footprint drawn from EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund data. Use the indicator breakdown below to see which component drives the score, and drill into the top chemicals and facilities for the underlying Form R filings. This percentile-based score is a different measure than the county profile's fixed-threshold risk score: expect the two numbers to differ.
Top Chemicals Released
| Chemical | Total Released | Carcinogen | PBT | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc compounds | 1768.8M lbs | No | No | 1 |
| Lead compounds | 811.0M lbs | No | Yes | 2 |
| Lead And Lead Compounds | 540.8M lbs | No | Yes | 1 |
| Manganese compounds | 149.3M lbs | No | No | 1 |
| Manganese And Manganese Compounds | 25.3M lbs | No | No | 1 |
| Copper compounds | 13.0M lbs | No | No | 1 |
| Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) | 8.6M lbs | No | No | 1 |
| Copper And Copper Compounds | 7.3M lbs | No | No | 1 |
| Nickel compounds | 6.8M lbs | Yes | No | 1 |
| Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) | 6.2M lbs | No | No | 1 |
Which facilities pollute this county the most?
What is the environmental burden score for Northwest Arctic Borough, AK?
Northwest Arctic Borough has an environmental burden score of 78/100 (grade: D), ranking #19 out of 500 counties analyzed. The score is a transparent derived percentile index of EPA TRI / SDWIS / Superfund disclosure rates: not an official EPA rating or a measured health outcome.
How many TRI facilities are in Northwest Arctic Borough?
Northwest Arctic Borough has 2 TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) facilities reporting to the EPA, with total releases of 3344.3M lbs.
Data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This screening tool is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the federal government.
What to do with Northwest Arctic Borough's screening report
Use this county's score as a starting point, then drill into the specific concern that matters to you.
- Northwest Arctic Borough has 2 TRI facilities reporting to the EPA -- see which one releases the most. Red Dog Operations
- Ranked #19 of 500 counties analyzed -- see how Alaska as a whole compares nationally. Alaska state profile
- See which counties nationwide carry the highest combined environmental burden. National rankings
This score synthesizes four EPA indicator layers into a single 0-100 index; it is not a health-risk diagnosis or a substitute for local environmental testing.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this Environmental Justice Screening Score is computed from the 2023 Toxics Release Inventory, the Safe Drinking Water Information System, and the Superfund National Priorities List, spanning PlainEnviro's database of more than 25,000 EPA-tracked facilities nationwide; see our methodology for the full scoring formula and source citations.