Environment Summary

Orange County’s environmental health has improved in many ways due to increased regulation and energy efficiency initiatives. Air quality and greenhouse gas emissions have improved since the 2015 Report. The number of households using more electricity as an energy source has increased, though renewable energy in households has not increased substantially.

Like many communities in the Northeast, Orange County is experiencing changes in the environment due to climate change. The number of degree days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and degree days below 32 degrees Fahrenheit has changed dramatically. Precipitation has increased significantly in all counties measured over the past century.

Water resources are mixed in quality. While lake health has improved, more water bodies within the County were deemed to be stressed or of unacceptable quality.

Orange County ranks second in the Hudson Valley for the number of jobs that focus on clean energy (green jobs). Orange ranks 12th in the NYS behind Westchester, which ranks 6th.

Recycling and composting are part of Orange County’s pollution and waste reduction program, though data on tons recycled and composted are not easily retrievable. The number of community composting locations is measured for the first time in this Report.

There are a number of Brownfield sites and Superfund sites in Orange County under various states of remediation. The City of Newburgh hosts the largest number of these sites, followed by the Town of Deerpark.

The data contains a list of services available in each municipality and a list of municipalities with comprehensive plans and when they were last updated, as well as Open Space Plans for municipalities.

It is important to note that there were several indicators in the 2007, 2012, and 2015 Reports that are no longer measured by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the US Environmental Protection Agency.