Cumberland, NC

Moderate Risk (39/100)

A PlainEnviro-computed score from reported facility/violation counts, not an official EPA rating, health forecast, or population-adjusted rate. See methodology. This is a different measure than the EJ Screening score for this county, which ranks it by percentile against every other tracked county rather than against fixed national thresholds.

Environmental data for Cumberland in North Carolina · Population: 336,749

Cumberland, NC is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 13 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 9 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 39/100 (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 5.9M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 1 water system carries an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 46 and a peak AQI of 110 in 2024, with 64% 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
336,749
TRI Facilities
13
Water Systems
9
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
5.9M 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 233 (64%) 132 1 110
2023 201 (55%) 163 1 129
2022 231 (64%) 128 1 115
2021 227 (62%) 137 1 107
2020 280 (77%) 83 0 83
2024 Good Air Quality: 64% of days
Unhealthy days: 1
Median AQI: 46

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 (9)

System Population Violations
FAYETTEVILLE PUBLIC WORKS COMM 215,590 0
OLD NORTH UTILITIES SERVICES/FT BRAGG 65,000 0
EASTOVER SANITARY DISTRICT 8,150 0
FORT BRAGG LINDEN OAKS 3,733 0
LINDEN, TOWN OF 2,077 1
STEDMAN, TOWN OF 1,705 0
WADE, TOWN OF 780 0
FALCON WATER SYSTEM 714 0
401 MOBILE HOME PARK 75 0

TRI Facilities (13)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Cargill Inc 2.5M lbs
2 U.S. Army Fort Bragg 2.3M lbs
3 Hexion Inc-Fayetteville Facility 455.3K lbs
4 Alpek Polyester USA LLC 347.3K lbs
5 Darling Ingredients Inc - Fayetteville Facility 236.5K lbs
6 American Phoenix Inc. 30.1K lbs
7 Mann + Hummel Purolator Filters LLC 16.5K lbs
8 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co Fayetteville Plant 6.4K lbs
9 Eaton - Fayetteville 265 lbs
10 Oldcastle Precast Inc 162 lbs
11 Steelfab of Fayetteville 94 lbs
12 S&w Fayetteville Plant 0 lbs
13 S&w Spring Lake Plant 0 lbs

Cities in Cumberland (3)

Fayetteville
Pop: -
14 facilities · 3 water
Fort Bragg
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water
Spring Lake
Pop: -
1 facilities · 3 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Cumberland, North Carolina?
Cumberland, NC has an environmental risk score of 39/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 13 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 9 water systems on record. 1 water system have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Cumberland?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Cumberland, NC in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Cumberland?
Cumberland, NC has 13 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 5.9M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Cumberland?
In 2024, Cumberland, NC recorded a median AQI of 46 and a peak AQI of 110. 64% 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 Cumberland?
Cumberland, NC has 9 EPA-regulated water systems. 1 system has 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 Cumberland?
Environmental compliance in Cumberland, 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