Florence, SC

Moderate Risk (43/100)

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 Florence in South Carolina · Population: 136,921

Florence, SC is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 17 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 43/100 (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 10.8M 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 44 and a peak AQI of 99 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
136,921
TRI Facilities
17
Water Systems
9
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
10.8M 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 230 (64%) 129 0 99
2023 191 (52%) 172 1 104
2022 210 (63%) 123 0 79
2021 251 (74%) 86 0 86
2020 290 (82%) 62 0 95
2024 Good Air Quality: 64% of days
Median AQI: 44

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 South Carolina, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (9)

System Population Violations
FLORENCE CITY OF (SC2110001) 79,745 4
LAKE CITY CITY OF (SC2110007) 9,191 0
JOHNSONVILLE CITY OF (SC2110011) 5,083 0
COWARD TOWN OF (SC2110012) 2,283 0
BARRINEAU WATER SYSTEM (1420002) 1,879 0
PAMPLICO TOWN OF (SC2110010) 1,734 0
SCRANTON TOWN OF (SC2110009) 1,133 0
OLANTA TOWN OF (SC2110006) 801 0
BGWC HEATHERWOOD-BLUE RIDGE (SC3250015) 455 0

TRI Facilities (17)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Westrock Cp LLC 5.7M lbs
2 Clarios LLC 3.9M lbs
3 Nan Ya Plastics Corp America 437.9K lbs
4 International Knife & Saw Inc 253.2K lbs
5 Nucor Corp Vulcraft Div 243.0K lbs
6 Charles Ingram Lumber Co 152.6K lbs
7 Patheon Api Inc. 54.9K lbs
8 Steelfab Inc 38.8K lbs
9 Koppers Inc. (florence Sc) 16.3K lbs
10 Patheon Api Services Inc. 12.5K lbs
11 American Honda Motor Co. Inc. 4.9K lbs
12 Clarios LLC Florence Dc 3.3K lbs
13 Ge Healthcare 599 lbs
14 Concrete Supply Co - Florence 5 lbs
15 Plant 84 - Florence 0 lbs
16 Concrete Supply Co LLC - Envision Temp Plant 0 lbs
17 McCall Farms 0 lbs

Cities in Florence (4)

Timmonsville
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Florence
Pop: -
13 facilities · 2 water
Effingham
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Lake City
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Florence, South Carolina?
Florence, SC has an environmental risk score of 43/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 17 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 Florence?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Florence, SC in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Florence?
Florence, SC has 17 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 10.8M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Florence?
In 2024, Florence, SC recorded a median AQI of 44 and a peak AQI of 99. 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 Florence?
Florence, SC 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 Florence?
Environmental compliance in Florence, 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 Editorial