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La Plata County, Colorado: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in La Plata County is 108.8 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 916 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Air permit holder (minor source) (354), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (204), Industrial wastewater discharge (191). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 20 in a million, driven mainly by formaldehyde.

Rates are age-adjusted per 100,000 people. A cancer signal is marked significant when the lower bound of its 95 percent confidence interval is above the U.S. rate. Facility counts use active federal records located inside the county boundary. Approximate county center: 37.319, -107.8469.

How this county ranks in Colorado

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Cancer deaths and new cases versus the United States

Source: NCI and CDC State Cancer Profiles, both sexes, all ages. Sorted by the ratio of the county rate to the U.S. rate.

Cancer rates for La Plata County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	36.4	23.8	1.53xSignificant	30.3 to 43.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	17.3	14.5	1.19x	13 to 22.6	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.1	4.4	1.16x	2.9 to 8.5	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7.1	6.2	1.15x	4.3 to 10.9	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	404.8	453.4	0.89x	383.9 to 426.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.8	6.6	0.88x	3.7 to 8.8	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	16.1	18.7	0.86x	12.2 to 21.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	4.9	5.7	0.86x	2.9 to 8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15.9	18.5	0.86x	11.8 to 21.1	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	3.8	4.6	0.83x	2.1 to 6.5	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10.5	13	0.81x	7.2 to 14.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	108.8	143.2	0.76x	98.2 to 120.3	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	12.8	17.9	0.72x	9.3 to 17.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	7.9	11.3	0.7x	5.3 to 11.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	8.9	13.9	0.64x	6.1 to 12.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	28.5	51.8	0.55x	23.2 to 34.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	16.3	30.2	0.54x	12.4 to 21.2	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	4.6	8.7	0.53x	2.7 to 7.4	2019-2023

Mortality measures versus the U.S. county median

Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. The comparison value is the median of all U.S. counties.

Mortality measures for La Plata County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,125.7	9,842.6	-28%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	80.3	75.3	+7%	years
Child mortality	48.1	59.8	-19%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	83.7	96.9	-14%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	21.2	28.6	-26%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 20 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde11.44 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.35 per million
Acetaldehyde0.82 per million
Benzene0.52 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 222 good, 2 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 48, peak 112.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

916 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Air permit holder (minor source)354
NPDES wastewater discharge permit204
Industrial wastewater discharge191
Rail grade crossing48
Major air pollution source42
Brownfield property23
Gas station (mapped facility)20
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)6
Heliport4
EPA air quality monitor3
Small hazardous waste generator3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Large hazardous waste generator2
Hydroelectric plant2
TRI reporting facility2
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Other power plant1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Harvest Four Corners, Durango
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane, Benzene, Toluene and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 35,053 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 8130WHRVST3746C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Durango, City Of Wwtp, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017709434 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Harvest Four Corners, Durango
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071434364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Animas Glacier Gravel, Durango
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead, Mercury. Reports carcinogens. 56 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 8130WNMSGL9755C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Animas Glacier Gravel, Durango
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064747001 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Durango-La Plata County, Durango
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID DRO (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 5
Elam Construction Inc - Durango Batch Plant, Durango
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 1 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 8130WLMCNS691CR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.7
Ignacio Processing Plant, Durango
Major air pollution source. Penalties $1,437,125.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009557470 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Vallecito Resort, La Plata County
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010055563 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Durango North Riverside Koa, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022455528 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Needles Homeowners Association, La Plata County
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022513038 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Forest Groves Estates, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022551530 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Purgatory Metropolitan Dist, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110023136729 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Durango Solid Waste Transfer Station, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041628129 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Durango Ms4, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110044271855 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Dsng Rr Depot Yard And Museum, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046292720 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Animas Air Park, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046319275 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Durango Recycle Center, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110054111297 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
V-15 Portable Asphalt Plant, Statewide
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110054113721 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Zellitti Gravel Pit, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070053435 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Agri Dld Gravel Pit, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070053955 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Montoya Pit, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070054005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Elam Ready Mix, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070054560 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Crader Pit, La Plata County
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070054716 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Weaselskin Pit, Durango
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070055055 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for La Plata County

Colorado state cancer registry
Cancer incidence counts by census tract or ZIP code, by cancer type and year (de-identified). Any cancer cluster inquiries or investigations in La Plata County, and their findings.
Colorado vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Colorado health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Colorado environmental agency and the U.S. EPA regional office
Compliance history, inspection reports, notices of violation, penalties and enforcement actions for each facility above, cited by EPA FRS registry ID.
Colorado drinking water program
Violation notices, sampling results and sanitary surveys for the public water systems serving the county, including any system serving a correctional facility.
Department of corrections or county sheriff
Water testing, grievances and environmental health inspections for the correctional facilities listed above.

Each Envyrofax address report includes a printable records request worksheet with the custodian and the exact request wording per finding.

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