STATE EPA report: Mahoning County improves its pollution ranking

YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County was the least polluted in the five-county Mahoning and Shenango Valley area in 2001, says a national toxic inventory released last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Mahoning moved down from 35th most polluted county in Ohio in 2000 to 41st in 2001, the EPA reported in its annual Toxic Release Inventory, which lists toxic pollutants in every county in the country.
The inventory shows that Mahoning generated 426,353 pounds of toxic waste in 2001.
Trumbull County ranks as the 20th most polluted county in the state, generating 1,817,122 pounds of toxic waste in 2001. The ranking is down six, from 14th in 2000.
More waste
Unlike Mahoning and Trumbull, Columbiana moved up in the rankings, going from 61st in 2000 to 34th in 2001. The county generated 1,079,113 pounds of toxic waste in 2001, compared to 218,070 pounds in 2000.
Jefferson County was Ohio's most polluted county in 2001, with 23,326,334 pounds, followed by Montgomery.
Ohio ranks sixth in the national rankings with 254.5 million pounds of toxic wastes.
In Pennsylvania, Lawrence County generated 993,344 pounds in 2001. Mercer County weighed in at 992,694 pounds for the same year. The rankings for those counties were not available.
EPA compiles the inventory from data companies are required to report to the federal agency under the 1996 Community-Right-to-Know Act.