Caldwell, NC

Moderate Risk (40/100)

A PlainEnviro-computed score from reported facility/violation counts, not an official EPA rating, health forecast, or population-adjusted rate. See methodology.

Environmental data for Caldwell in North Carolina · Population: 80,618

Caldwell, NC is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 7 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 11 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 40/100 (Moderate Risk), calibrated against national distributions for facility density, chemical release volume, Superfund concentration, and water-system health violations.

Industrial disclosures inside the county total 1.2M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 5 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 40 and a peak AQI of 87 in 2024, with 93% of observed days rated "Good" (0–50).

All figures below draw directly from federal EPA records, TRI self-reported emissions, SDWIS compliance history, NPL Hazard Ranking System scores, and AQS daily AQI summaries, and are not adjusted, weighted, or forecast. A past violation or elevated score does not itself indicate current unsafe conditions; it documents the regulatory and disclosure history publicly filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the most recent reporting cycle.

Population
80,618
TRI Facilities
7
Water Systems
11
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
1.2M 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 221 (93%) 16 0 87
2023 220 (90%) 25 0 97
2022 224 (91%) 21 0 74
2021 219 (90%) 24 0 77
2020 243 (100%) 0 0 50
2024 Good Air Quality: 93% of days
Median AQI: 40

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by County 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 North Carolina, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (11)

System Population Violations
LENOIR, CITY OF 25,573 3
CALDWELL CO WATER SYSTEM-SE 15,007 0
CALDWELL COUNTY WATER--WEST 8,662 0
BATON WATER CORPORATION 7,620 0
GRANITE FALLS, TOWN OF 7,318 0
SAWMILLS, TOWN OF 5,524 1
GREEN MOUNTAIN PARK 1,194 1
RHODHISS, TOWN OF 867 3
CALDWELL COUNTY- ADDISON LANE 140 0
CALDWELL COUNTY WATER--NORTH 108 0
RHODHISS TOWN OF HENRY ST 70 1

TRI Facilities (7)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Shurtape Technologies Llc-Hudson Opp Plant 895.4K lbs
2 Teijin Automotive Technologies North Carolina Composites Ll 149.8K lbs
3 Rpm Wood Finishes Group Inc 88.2K lbs
4 Neptco Inc 45.5K lbs
5 Lenoir Mirror Co 27.8K lbs
6 Brenntag Midsouth Inc 847 lbs
7 Bemis Manufacturing 0 lbs

Cities in Caldwell (2)

Hudson
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Lenoir
Pop: -
5 facilities · 6 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Caldwell, North Carolina?
Caldwell, NC has an environmental risk score of 40/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 7 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 11 water systems on record. 5 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Caldwell?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Caldwell, NC in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Caldwell?
Caldwell, NC has 7 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 1.2M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Caldwell?
In 2024, Caldwell, NC recorded a median AQI of 40 and a peak AQI of 87. 93% 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 Caldwell?
Caldwell, NC has 11 EPA-regulated water systems. 5 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 Caldwell?
Environmental compliance in Caldwell, North Carolina is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the North 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 Editorial