Middlesex, NJ

High Risk (72/100)

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 Middlesex in New Jersey · Population: 861,535

Middlesex, NJ is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 50 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 22 Safe Drinking Water Act systems, and 0 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Together these generate an environmental burden score of 72/100 (High Risk), calibrated against national distributions for facility density, chemical release volume, Superfund concentration, and water-system health violations.

Industrial disclosures inside the county total 14.0M lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 13 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 36 and a peak AQI of 136 in 2024, with 78% 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
861,535
TRI Facilities
50
Water Systems
22
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
14.0M 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 286 (78%) 74 5 136
2023 229 (63%) 124 7 247
2022 261 (72%) 103 1 101
2021 233 (64%) 126 5 129
2020 257 (70%) 108 1 112
2024 Good Air Quality: 78% of days
Unhealthy days: 5
Median AQI: 36

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 New Jersey, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.

Water Systems (22)

System Population Violations
MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY 233,376 1
OLD BRIDGE MUA 68,000 0
NEW BRUNSWICK W DEPT 55,000 3
PERTH AMBOY WATER DEPARTMENT 52,328 5
EAST BRUNSWICK WATER UTILITY 48,474 2
SAYREVILLE W DEPT 45,345 0
MONROE TWP UTILITY DEPARTMENT 36,000 0
EDISON WATER CO 35,000 3
SOUTH RIVER W DEPT 16,000 14
HIGHLAND PARK W DEPT 14,000 1
MATAWAN BOROUGH WATER DE 9,084 5
SPOTSWOOD W DEPT 8,300 0
MILLTOWN W DEPT 7,000 19
ABERDEEN - CLIFFWOOD/CLIFFWOOD BEACH 6,775 3
ABERDEEN- HIGH SCHOOL/OAKSHADE AREA 2,123 0
HELMETTA WATER DEPT 2,000 0
ITHACA ESTATES 342 0
ABERDEEN - FRENEAU 286 0
TIMBER RISE LLC 60 17
LITTLE CREEK ESTATES M H P 60 0
PORTVILLE ESTATES MHC II 50 1
PORTVILLE ESTATES MHC I 28 1

TRI Facilities (50)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Madison Industries 5.4M lbs
2 Ashland Specialty Ingredients (parlin Plant) 3.2M lbs
3 Ames Advanced Materials Corp 2.1M lbs
4 Veolia Es Technical Solutions L.L.C. 2.0M lbs
5 Mauser USA LLC - Woodbridge (nj) 193.0K lbs
6 Cmc Steel New Jersey 178.0K lbs
7 Silgan Containers Manufacturing Corp 142.6K lbs
8 Hummel Croton Inc 107.5K lbs
9 Equistar Chemicals LP 107.2K lbs
10 Sewaren Terminal 87.1K lbs
11 Univar Solutions USA - Carteret 79.3K lbs
12 Sewaren Generating Station 65.7K lbs
13 V&s Amboy Galvanizing LLC 65.3K lbs
14 Kobo Products Inc. 49.1K lbs
15 Associated Materials LLC 46.8K lbs
16 Parkway Generation Sewaren Energy Center 37.8K lbs
17 Old Bridge Chemiacls Inc 35.7K lbs
18 National Manufacturing Co. LLC 31.0K lbs
19 Chemours Parlin Facility 13.0K lbs
20 Covalence Adhesives 11.7K lbs
21 Vanguard Research Industries Inc 10.8K lbs
22 Itwcovid Security Group 8.0K lbs
23 International Flavors & Fragrances Inc 7.5K lbs
24 Lanxess Corp 7.3K lbs
25 Spectrum Laboratory Products ( New Jersey) 6.6K lbs
26 Mon-Eco Industries Inc. 6.2K lbs
27 Kobo Products Inc 5.0K lbs
28 Wesco Hmb Inc. 3.8K lbs
29 Pride Solvents & Chemical Co of New Jersey 3.1K lbs
30 Cary Compounds LLC 2.7K lbs
31 Schweitzer-Mauduit International Inc 2.5K lbs
32 Technick Products 1.8K lbs
33 Englert Inc 1.5K lbs
34 Ist (usa) Corp 1.2K lbs
35 Bruker Ost LLC 1.2K lbs
36 Tec Edison LLC 1.1K lbs
37 Dupont Parlin Plant 944 lbs
38 Banker Steel New Jersey 826 lbs
39 Hd Microsystems LLC 792 lbs
40 Canfield Technologies LLC 552 lbs
41 National Paint Industries 325 lbs
42 Steris Isomedix Services 314 lbs
43 Vibrantz Corp 284 lbs
44 Transpackers Services Corp 272 lbs
45 Firmenich Inc 216 lbs
46 Ziegler Chemical & Mineral Corp 171 lbs
47 Richmond Foundry LLC 109 lbs
48 Colonial Wire & Cable of New Jersey 87 lbs
49 Trap Rock Industries LLC 29 lbs
50 Ralph Clayton & Sons 6 lbs

Cities in Middlesex (29)

Avenel
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Carteret
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Port Reading
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Sewaren
Pop: -
3 facilities · 0 water
South Plainfield
Pop: -
10 facilities · 0 water
Woodbridge
Pop: -
1 facilities · 1 water
Cranbury
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Dayton
Pop: -
3 facilities · 0 water
East Brunswick
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water
Edison
Pop: -
7 facilities · 2 water
Keasbey
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Middlesex
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Metuchen
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Piscataway
Pop: -
6 facilities · 0 water
Old Bridge
Pop: -
4 facilities · 1 water
Parlin
Pop: -
5 facilities · 0 water
Perth Amboy
Pop: -
5 facilities · 1 water
Fords
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Sayreville
Pop: -
3 facilities · 1 water
Spotswood
Pop: -
1 facilities · 1 water
New Brunswick
Pop: -
2 facilities · 1 water
North Brunswick
Pop: -
3 facilities · 1 water
Plainsboro
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water
Old Bridge Township
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water
Jamesburg, South Brunswick Township
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water
Edison Township
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water
South Brunswick
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water
East Brunswick Township
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water
Old Bridge Township, Sayreville
Pop: -
0 facilities · 0 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Middlesex, New Jersey?
Middlesex, NJ has an environmental risk score of 72/100 (High Risk), based on 50 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 22 water systems on record. 13 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Middlesex?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Middlesex, NJ in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Middlesex?
Middlesex, NJ has 50 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 14.0M lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Middlesex?
In 2024, Middlesex, NJ recorded a median AQI of 36 and a peak AQI of 136. 78% 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 Middlesex?
Middlesex, NJ has 22 EPA-regulated water systems. 13 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 Middlesex?
Environmental compliance in Middlesex, New Jersey is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level and the New Jersey 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