Politics & Government

How Bad is Novato Pollution? See What New State Figures Say

State officials have released figures on every zip code in the state showing which communities are most at risk from pollution. See how Novato and other Marin towns rank using the interactive map below.

How at risk are Novato residents from pollution compared to other cities in the state? According to the state officials, the city is on par with the average California town.

Based on new state figures released this month, Novato's three zip codes are in the upper half of California zip codes in terms of being at potential for health risks stemming from pollution of all sorts. The city's 94947 ranks the highest, in the 66 to 70 percentile of all California zip codes. Zip code 94945 fares slightly worse in the 56 to 60 percentile while 94949 is rated in the 51 to 55 percentile

See a map of the data for every town in the state here

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The figures come from a new state report issued by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) that compiles health risks based on 11 types of pollution and factors in seven categories of population and demographic factors, including poverty and education levels.

The purpose of the report is to identify communities that are eligible for grants from the state's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, according to Sam Delson, an OEHHA spokesman. The law governing that fund mandates certain percentages be spent on disadvantaged communities, making it necessary to include economic factors in the state report.

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Unfortunately for Novato, only cities that rank in the bottom 10 percent will qualify.

The state has a map of those communities that are eligible on the report website.

The map above shows scores from each of those categories as well as overall rankings for every zip code in California with a Patch publication. Simply click on any town to see the full report card for each zip code.

You can see a similar map showing every zip code in the state here, and see more details of the report on the state's website.

In general, Novato fares poorly on the metrics having to do with traffic and groundwater while ranking well in air pollution and pesticide metrics.  

 

See More on Patch:

  • Spice It Up With an Herb Patch in Novato
  • Novato's Unemployment Rate Dips Slightly to 6.2 Percent


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