Water Releases by Chemical & Industry
Water Releases By Chemical
This chart shows the TRI-listed chemicals released into water bodies in the largest quantities during 2023.
Note: In this chart, metals are combined with their metal compounds, although metals and compounds of the same metal are listed separately on the TRI list (e.g., manganese is listed separately from manganese compounds).
- Nitrate compounds accounted for 90% of the total quantity of TRI chemicals released to water in 2023. Nitrate compounds are commonly formed as part of facilities’ on-site wastewater treatment processes. The food manufacturing sector contributed 42% of total nitrate compound releases to water, largely due to the treatment required for biological materials in wastewater, such as from meat processing facilities.
- After nitrate compounds, manganese, methanol, and ammonia were released in the largest quantities, accounting for a combined 6% of the chemicals released into water.
Water Releases By Industry
This chart shows the TRI-covered industry sectors that reported the largest quantities of TRI water releases during 2023.
- Facilities in the food manufacturing sector accounted for 39% of water releases for 2023 and approximately one-third of annual water releases over the past ten years.
- Nitrate compounds accounted for 99% of the total quantity of water releases from the food manufacturing sector.
This page was published in August 2025 and uses the 2023 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2024.