About PlainEnviro

What is PlainEnviro?

PlainEnviro is a free tool for exploring EPA environmental data across the United States. We present information on toxic chemical releases, drinking water quality, and Superfund cleanup sites—all sourced from official EPA databases and presented without advocacy framing. Our goal is to give you the raw data so you can form your own conclusions.

Data Sources

All data on PlainEnviro comes from three EPA programs:

• Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2023 — Annual data on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported by industrial and federal facilities
• Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) — Compliance and enforcement data for public water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act
• Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) — The list of the nation's most contaminated sites that have been identified for long-term remedial action

What You Can Find

• Water quality data — Violations, health-based concerns, and compliance status for community water systems in every state
• Toxic release data — Facility-level details on chemical releases to air, water, and land, including carcinogens and persistent bioaccumulative toxicants (PBTs)
• Superfund sites — Location, NPL status, hazard ranking scores, and known contaminants for cleanup sites across the country
• Chemical data — Release volumes, carcinogen and PBT classifications, and which facilities report each chemical

How to Use PlainEnviro

• Browse by state — Visit the States page to explore environmental data for any U.S. state or territory
• Search facilities and water systems — Use the Search page to find facilities, water systems, Superfund sites, or chemicals by name
• Explore Superfund sites — Browse all Superfund sites on the National Priorities List
• Review chemicals — Check the Chemicals page for release data on tracked substances

Data Methodology

Toxic Release Inventory (TRI): The EPA collects data annually from industrial facilities that meet reporting thresholds. Facilities must submit Form R reports detailing the quantities of listed toxic chemicals they release into the environment or transfer off-site. TRI data on PlainEnviro reflects the 2023 reporting year.

Safe Drinking Water (SDWIS): Public water systems report violations of drinking water standards to their state agencies, which submit data to the EPA. Violations are categorized as health-based (Maximum Contaminant Level violations, treatment technique violations) or monitoring/reporting violations.

Superfund (NPL): Sites are assessed using the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which evaluates potential risks to human health and the environment based on factors like toxicity of contaminants, exposure pathways, and proximity to populations. Sites scoring above 28.50 on the HRS are eligible for the National Priorities List.

Limitations

• TRI coverage: Only facilities that meet specific employee count and chemical usage thresholds are required to report. Smaller facilities and many types of businesses are not included
• Water data: Reflects reported violations and may not capture all water quality issues. Systems that do not report violations are not necessarily free of contaminants
• Superfund detail: Contaminant information for Superfund sites is limited to what is publicly available in the EPA's records. Detailed site investigation data may not be fully reflected here
• Temporal lag: Government datasets are updated periodically. There may be a delay between EPA data updates and when new data appears on PlainEnviro