Salem (city), VA
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.
Environmental data for Salem (city) in Virginia · Population: 25,477
TRI sites such as Lake Region Medical Inc; Ge Drives & Controls; Boxley Salem Asphalt Plant anchor Salem (city), VA's EPA extract. Derived burden score 16/100 (Low Risk) uses fixed national caps on density, log release volume, Superfund count, and health-flagged systems - not an official EPA rating.
Lake Region Medical Inc; Ge Drives & Controls; Boxley Salem Asphalt Plant are among the largest Form R filers reporting in Salem (city); no SDWIS system here carries an active health-based flag. AQS median AQI 32 / peak 67 in 2024.
Burden score 16/100 (Low 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 Salem (city) -- 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 Salem (city), VA: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year
Same facilities, both years
+4401237.5%
6 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023
Whole inventory
+122159.4%
3 lb → 3.5 thousand lb, every facility that filed
Between the two reporting years, 0 facilities filed for the first time and 1 stopped filing. Facilities entering or leaving the inventory are excluded from the same-facility comparison above.
- Salem (city), VA's total reported releases rose from 0 lb in 2022 to 3.5 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Salem (city), VA's air releases rose from 0 lb in 2022 to 2.9 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Salem (city), VA's off-site transfers rose from 0 lb in 2022 to 617 lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- Salem (city), VA's chemicals reported rose from 7 in 2022 to 9 in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
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 | 99 (83%) | 20 | 0 | 67 |
| 2023 | 87 (73%) | 32 | 1 | 146 |
| 2022 | 98 (81%) | 23 | 0 | 66 |
| 2021 | 95 (79%) | 25 | 0 | 91 |
| 2020 | 94 (85%) | 16 | 0 | 69 |
Source: 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 Virginia, see the EPA's AirNow.gov.
TRI Facilities (8)
| # | Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Region Medical Inc | 8.6K lbs |
| 2 | Ge Drives & Controls | 27 lbs |
| 3 | Boxley Salem Asphalt Plant | 10 lbs |
| 4 | Novozymes Biologicals Inc | 1 lbs |
| 5 | Concrete Pipe & Precast Llc-Salem #1 Plant | 0 lbs |
| 6 | Qualichem Inc Plant 1 | 0 lbs |
| 7 | Qualichem Inc. Plant 2 | 0 lbs |
| 8 | Lake Region Medical Inc | 0 lbs |
Cities in Salem (city) (1)
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.