Berkeley, SC

Moderate Risk (54/100)

Transparent derived index from EPA TRI / SDWIS / Superfund extracts: not an official EPA rating. Fixed caps: facilities ≤25 pts (50+ = max), log10 releases ≤25 pts, Superfund ≤25 pts (5/site), health-violation systems ≤15 pts (3/system), high-chemical facilities ≤10 pts. Bands: High ≥60, Moderate ≥30. See methodology. This is a different measure than the EJ Screening score for this county, which ranks it by percentile against other tracked counties rather than against these fixed caps.

Environmental data for Berkeley in South Carolina · Population: 238,723

TRI sites such as Nucor Steel-Berkeley; Cross Generating Station; Century Aluminum of South Carolina; SDWIS systems such as BCWSA SANGAREE W/D (0820002); GOOSE CREEK CITY OF (SC0810004); BCWSA EAST COOPER (SC0820009) anchor Berkeley, SC's EPA extract. Derived burden score 54/100 (Moderate Risk) uses fixed national caps on density, log release volume, Superfund count, and health-flagged systems - not an official EPA rating.

Health-flagged SDWIS rows in Berkeley include BUTLERS MHP (SC0860063); GARNETT MHP (SC0860058), while Nucor Steel-Berkeley leads reported TRI pounds among local Form R filers. AQS median AQI 37 / peak 90 in 2024.

Burden score 54/100 (Moderate Risk) is the only weighted composite on this page. The tables below list every TRI facility, SDWIS system, and Superfund site EPA has on record for Berkeley -- not just the names called out above -- reproducing the disclosure history as filed, not a current-safety verdict. Extract current as of 2026-08-25.

Release-over-release change

What changed for Berkeley, SC: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year

2022 → 2023

Same facilities, both years

-0.9%

23 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023

Whole inventory

-0.8%

6.0 million lb → 6.0 million lb, every facility that filed

Between the two reporting years, 1 facility filed for the first time and 2 stopped filing. Facilities entering or leaving the inventory are excluded from the same-facility comparison above.

  • Berkeley, SC's total reported releases fell from 6.0 million lb in 2022 to 6.0 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Berkeley, SC's land releases rose from 183.2 thousand lb in 2022 to 253.4 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Berkeley, SC's water releases rose from 164.7 thousand lb in 2022 to 178.6 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Berkeley, SC's chemicals reported fell from 60 in 2022 to 57 in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
County population (Census ACS)
238,723
TRI Facilities
29
Water Systems
14
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
28.9M lbs

Air Quality History (2020–2024)

EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) data showing how many days per year fall into each air quality category.

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy (SG) Max AQI
2024 255 (92%) 23 0 90
2023 260 (95%) 11 2 105
2022 221 (94%) 13 0 80
2021 250 (97%) 8 0 80
2020 219 (100%) 1 0 51
2024 Good Air Quality: 92% of days
Median AQI: 37

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County AQI categories: Good (0-50), Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150), Unhealthy (151-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300), Hazardous (301+)

For real-time air quality readings and pollutant breakdowns in South Carolina, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (14)

System System pop (SDWIS) Violations
BCWSA SANGAREE W/D (0820002) 95,345 0
GOOSE CREEK CITY OF (SC0810004) 43,744 0
BCWSA EAST COOPER (SC0820009) 12,933 0
MONCKS CORNER CITY OF (SC0810001) 8,956 0
SEABROOK ISLAND TOWN OF (1010009) 5,939 0
JAMESTOWN TOWN OF (SC0810003) 800 0
BCWSA SINEATH MHP (0850018) 594 0
BCWSA LAKE MOULTRIE ESTATES (0820004) 156 0
CEDARWOOD ACRES MOBILE HOME PARK 133 0
BUTLERS MHP (SC0860063) 77 3
GARNETT MHP (SC0860058) 41 1
MEPKIN ABBEY (SC0870972) 30 0
LAKE MOULTRIE REGIONAL WS (SC0820008) 25 0
LAKE MARION REGIONAL WATER SYS (3820003) 25 0

TRI Facilities (29)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Nucor Steel-Berkeley 13.1M lbs
2 Cross Generating Station 4.8M lbs
3 Century Aluminum of South Carolina 2.7M lbs
4 Dcl - Bushy Park Facility 2.7M lbs
5 Dominion Energy of South Carolina - Williams Station Genco 1.8M lbs
6 Ineos US Chemicals Co - Cooper River Plant 1.5M lbs
7 Cr Bard 623.2K lbs
8 Sea Fox Boat Co Inc. 469.9K lbs
9 Alpek Polyester USA LLC Cooper River Plant 337.5K lbs
10 Symrise Inc 255.2K lbs
11 Volvo Car USA LLC 239.3K lbs
12 Freeman Boatworks LLC 210.1K lbs
13 Jw Aluminum Mt Holly Operations 82.1K lbs
14 Lanxess Corp Bushy Park Plant 25.0K lbs
15 Chromascape 13.2K lbs
16 Pegasus Steel 6.0K lbs
17 Parker Hannifin Corp Mt Holly Facility 3.9K lbs
18 U.S. Dod Dfsp Charleston 2.3K lbs
19 Charleston Mill Service 1.9K lbs
20 Du Pont Cooper River Plant 95 lbs
21 Concrete Pipe & Precast Llc-Summerville Precast Plant 95 lbs
22 Concrete Supply Co Llc-Moncks Corner 13 lbs
23 Nexans High Voltage USA Inc 1 lbs
24 Concrete Supply Co. LLC - Clements Ferry 1 lbs
25 Argos Summerville Concrete Plant 0 lbs
26 Concrete Supply Co LLC - Summerville 0 lbs
27 Cooper River Partners LLC 0 lbs
28 Intercon Portable 0 lbs
29 Steel Technologies LLC 0 lbs

Cities in Berkeley (8)

Goose Creek
10 facilities · 1 water
Moncks Corner
7 facilities · 10 water
Huger
3 facilities · 0 water
Hanahan
1 facilities · 0 water
Pineville
1 facilities · 0 water
Wando
1 facilities · 0 water
Johns Island
0 facilities · 2 water
Jamestown
0 facilities · 1 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Berkeley, South Carolina?
Berkeley, SC has an environmental risk score of 54/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 29 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 14 water systems on record. 2 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Berkeley?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Berkeley, SC in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Berkeley?
Berkeley, SC has 29 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 28.9M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Berkeley?
In 2024, Berkeley, SC recorded a median AQI of 37 and a peak AQI of 90. 92% of monitored days had "Good" air quality (AQI 0–50). Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County.
Is the drinking water safe in Berkeley?
Berkeley, SC has 14 EPA-regulated water systems. 2 systems have reported health-based violations (MCL exceedances). A past violation does not necessarily mean water is currently unsafe. For current water quality, contact your local water utility. Source: EPA SDWIS.
What environmental agencies cover Berkeley?
Environmental compliance in Berkeley, South Carolina is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the South Carolina state environmental agency. Facilities report to the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, water systems are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and contaminated sites are managed under the Superfund program. Contact your state environmental agency for local concerns.

What does this county environmental profile show?

This county environmental profile rolls up EPA Toxics Release Inventory facility reports, Safe Drinking Water Information System public-water-system filings, and Superfund National Priorities List sites for the county boundary defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Facility counts reflect facilities with a reporting address inside the county, not where downstream environmental effects may be observed. Population figures are from the most recent Census ACS 5-year estimate. The county detail page is updated whenever the upstream EPA programs publish revised data; see the methodology page for the documented ingest cadence and the editorial choices governing how aggregations are computed.

Related

Data sourced from U.S. EPA environmental datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEnviro