Pollution in the York-Lancaster Area

This page will cover the major sources of pollution in the area and provide an analysis of EPA pollution data gathered from the area.

Major Polluters

1. Brunner Island Steam Electric Station (coal fired electric generater)
2. Pixelle Specialty Solutions LLC (paper manufacturer)
3. Envirite of Pennsylvania inc (EPA hazardous waste cleanup group)

Pollution Details

Pollution per square mile

SNHA: 40,399 lb/mile^2 US: 12,193lb/mi^2

The area has experienced a large decrease in pollution over the last 15 years. This is mainly the result in a reduction in pollution from electric utilities (which still comprise the largest component of the area’s pollution today). In addition to this, we have also seen slight decreases in pollution produced from manufacturers over the last 15 years.

Population Vulnerability to Pollution

Map from EJSCREEN (EPA tool), showing vulnerability of various populations to pollution.

We can see from the above map that the majority of this area is not highly vulnerable to pollution. We do, however, notice that the vulnerability is concentrated around the cities of York and Lancaster, where the pollution is also centered. These cities are also where we find higher rates of poverty and lower per capita income compared to the rest of this two county area. It is likely that the socio-economic status of people living in these areas is a large part of why they are more vulnerable to pollution.