Huntsville, Alabama

Environmental Quality Report Card

Huntsville reports good air quality, with AQI levels better than the national average. Water tests indicate safe conditions across key measures. Facility compliance with environmental standards is below the national average.

Air Quality (Annual Overview)

Grade A
30.8 AQI

Yearly average AQI (2024): 30.8. National average: 41.4. 29 moderate days, 0 unhealthy days recorded.

Water Quality (Key Indicators)

Grade A
7.1587 pH

Latest pH level (2024): 7.1587. Ideal range: 6.5–8.5.

Facility Violations

Grade C
15 significant violations

Facilities like factories and treatment plants had 15 significant and 1695 total violations reported in 2024.

Water Quality (with EPA Standards)

Water quality measurements are provided by the Water Quality Portal , a collaboration between the USGS, EPA, and other agencies.

Characteristic Local Value Safe Range Grade Last Measured
pH 7.16 6.5 - 8.5 A 10/28/2024
Turbidity 2.10 NTU <5 A 10/28/2024
Arsenic 0.42 mg/L <0.01 F 10/28/2024

Water Quality (No EPA Standard)

These measurements do not have formal EPA standards but are still important indicators of local water quality.

Characteristic Local Value Unit Last Measured
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.49 mg/L 10/28/2024
Temperature, water 18.70 deg C 10/28/2024
Depth, data-logger (non-ported) 0.55 ft 10/28/2024
Specific conductance 313.17 umho/cm 10/28/2024
Dissolved oxygen saturation 67.73 % 10/28/2024
Magnesium 6.40 mg/L 10/28/2024
Phosphorus 0.05 mg/L 10/28/2024
Escherichia coli 129.60 MPN/100mL 10/28/2024
Orthophosphate 0.01 mg/L 10/28/2024
Alkalinity, total 129.00 mg/L 10/28/2024
Ammonia-nitrogen 0.06 mg/L 9/22/2024
Total dissolved solids 232.00 mg/L 10/28/2024
Depth, bottom 1.10 ft 10/28/2024
Sulfate 4.92 mg/L 10/28/2024
Nitrate + Nitrite 0.81 mg/L 10/28/2024
Flow 0.66 ft3/sec 10/28/2024
Hardness, Ca, Mg 149.00 mg/L 10/28/2024
Chloride 8.65 mg/L 10/28/2024
Chlorophyll a 52.30 mg/m3 10/15/2024
Calcium 49.10 mg/L 10/28/2024
Depth, Secchi disk depth 0.65 m 10/15/2024
Kjeldahl nitrogen 0.49 mg/L 10/15/2024
Biochemical oxygen demand, standard conditions 2.84 mg/L 10/15/2024
Total suspended solids 6.00 mg/L 10/28/2024
Light attenuation, depth at 99% 1.41 m 10/15/2024
Aluminum 0.01 mg/L 10/28/2024
Chromium 0.44 ug/L 9/22/2024
Manganese 0.04 mg/L 10/28/2024
Iron 0.07 mg/L 10/28/2024

Air Quality Details (2024–2025)

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how clean or polluted the air is. A lower AQI means cleaner air. Main pollutants include particulate matter like PM2.5, ozone, and others regulated by EPA standards.
Air quality data sourced from OpenAQ, aggregating official monitoring stations.

Yearly Average AQI National Average AQI Good Days Moderate Days Unhealthy Days Worst Day AQI Top Pollutant
30.8 41.4 333 29 0 78 (on 7/31/2024) PM2.5

Monthly AQI Trend

Monthly average AQI values over the past year. Lower values are better. Peaks may indicate pollution events.

Facility Compliance

Facility compliance and violation data come from the EPA's ECHO database.

5,000+ monitored facilities

Total Violations: 1695

Significant Violations: 15

Total Penalties: $11,139,167

Despite 15 significant violations, Huntsville reported 1,695 total violations across monitored facilities in 2024. This results in a compliance grade of C, reflecting average adherence to environmental standards compared to national benchmarks.

About the Data

This report uses the latest publicly available environmental data:

  • Air Quality: Data sourced from the OpenAQ Platform, aggregating official air quality monitoring stations near Huntsville.
  • Water Quality: Measurements from the Water Quality Portal, a collaboration between the USGS, EPA, and other agencies.
  • Facility Compliance: Sourced from the EPA's ECHO Database, detailing facility violations, penalties, and compliance rates.

All data is refreshed regularly and reflects the latest available figures for 2024.