Columbus, NC
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 Columbus in North Carolina · Population: 50,453
TRI sites such as International Paper Riegelwood Mill; Bakelite Synthetics; West Fraser Armour Lumber Mill; SDWIS systems such as COLUMBUS CO WATER DISTRICTS II, III, V; WHITEVILLE, CITY OF; TABOR CITY, TOWN OF; NPL sites such as Wright Chemical Corporation anchor Columbus, NC's EPA extract. Derived burden score 50/100 (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 Columbus include WHITEVILLE, CITY OF; LAKE WACCAMAW, TOWN OF; CHADBOURN, TOWN OF, while International Paper Riegelwood Mill leads reported TRI pounds among local Form R filers. No AQS county monitors report here.
Burden score 50/100 (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 Columbus -- 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 Columbus, NC: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year
Same facilities, both years
-3.9%
6 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023
Whole inventory
-3.9%
3.4 million lb → 3.3 million lb, every facility that filed
- Columbus, NC's total reported releases fell from 3.4 million lb in 2022 to 3.3 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Columbus, NC's off-site transfers fell from 99 lb in 2022 to 17 lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Columbus, NC's land releases fell from 251.5 thousand lb in 2022 to 191.7 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Columbus, NC's chemicals reported rose from 29 in 2022 to 30 in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
Water Systems (16)
| System | System pop (SDWIS) | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| COLUMBUS CO WATER DISTRICTS II, III, V | 10,442 | 0 |
| WHITEVILLE, CITY OF | 5,426 | 2 |
| TABOR CITY, TOWN OF | 3,277 | 0 |
| COLUMBUS COUNTY WATER DIST IV | 2,598 | 0 |
| LAKE WACCAMAW, TOWN OF | 2,572 | 3 |
| CHADBOURN, TOWN OF | 2,370 | 2 |
| COLUMBUS CO WATER DISTRICT I | 1,700 | 0 |
| FAIR BLUFF, TOWN OF | 800 | 0 |
| BOLTON, TOWN OF | 668 | 1 |
| EAST ARCADIA, TOWN OF | 633 | 8 |
| BRUNSWICK, TOWN OF | 495 | 0 |
| TOWN OF SANDYFIELD | 439 | 0 |
| CERRO GORDO, TOWN OF | 246 | 2 |
| LAKELAND VILLAGE S/D | 180 | 0 |
| BOARDMAN, TOWN OF | 165 | 1 |
| DUTCHESS FOREST S/D | 81 | 1 |
TRI Facilities (6)
| # | Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | International Paper Riegelwood Mill | 16.1M lbs |
| 2 | Bakelite Synthetics | 460.2K lbs |
| 3 | West Fraser Armour Lumber Mill | 158.2K lbs |
| 4 | Maxpro Manufacturing | 45.3K lbs |
| 5 | Entegris Inc. | 10.3K lbs |
| 6 | Campbell Oil & Gas Co. | 0 lbs |
Superfund Sites (1)
| Site Name | Status | HRS Score |
|---|---|---|
| Wright Chemical Corporation | NPL Site | 48.03 |
Cities in Columbus (9)
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.