Union, NC

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.

Environmental data for Union in North Carolina · Population: 244,975

Union, NC is tracked across three EPA datasets covering 22 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facilities, 6 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 495.9K lbs of reported toxic releases under EPCRA Section 313, while 4 water systems carry an active health-based violation in the SDWIS record. EPA Air Quality System monitors logged a median AQI of 41 and a peak AQI of 97 in 2024, with 87% 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
244,975
TRI Facilities
22
Water Systems
6
Superfund Sites
0
Total Releases
495.9K 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 212 (87%) 33 0 97
2023 201 (82%) 43 1 101
2022 218 (89%) 26 0 100
2021 209 (86%) 34 1 101
2020 242 (100%) 0 0 50
2024 Good Air Quality: 87% of days
Median AQI: 41

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 (6)

System Population Violations
UNION COUNTY WATER SYSTEM 167,554 10
WINGATE, TOWN OF 3,950 3
MARSHVILLE, TOWN OF 3,163 1
JAARS, INC 625 0
GLENCROFT S/D 380 1
WESTWOOD MHP 56 0

TRI Facilities (22)

# Facility Total Releases
1 Surteco N.a. Inc. 373.0K lbs
2 Pro-Tops Inc. 31.6K lbs
3 Consolidated Metco Inc 30.0K lbs
4 Pilgrim's Pride Corp Marshville Processing Facility 21.0K lbs
5 Radiator Specialty Co 10.0K lbs
6 Tyson Farms Inc 9.6K lbs
7 Goulston Technologies 8.6K lbs
8 Pro-Tops Inc 5.0K lbs
9 Ati Specialty Materials - Bakers Site 3.9K lbs
10 Ati Specialty Materials - Monroe Plant 2.6K lbs
11 Circor Pumps N.a. LLC 224 lbs
12 Conn-Selmer Inc Ludwig Facility 127 lbs
13 Yale Security Inc.,norton Door Controls 106 lbs
14 Edwards Wood Products Inc. 29 lbs
15 Concrete Supply Co - Matthews 4 lbs
16 Indian Trail Concrete Plant 1 lbs
17 Bluedot-Readi-Mix-Monroe (plant #105) 0 lbs
18 Sws Concrete-Monroe Plant 0 lbs
19 Sws Concrete-Stallings Plant 0 lbs
20 Concrete Supply Co Llc-Monroe 0 lbs
21 Pilgrim's Pride Corp Wingate Feed Mill 0 lbs
22 Consolidated Metco Inc. 0 lbs

Cities in Union (5)

Marshville
Pop: -
2 facilities · 1 water
Indian Trail
Pop: -
2 facilities · 0 water
Monroe
Pop: -
14 facilities · 3 water
Wingate
Pop: -
1 facilities · 2 water
Stallings
Pop: -
1 facilities · 0 water

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the environmental risk level in Union, North Carolina?
Union, NC has an environmental risk score of 43/100 (Moderate Risk), based on 22 TRI facilities, 0 Superfund sites, and 6 water systems on record. 4 water systems have health-based violations. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL.
Are there Superfund sites in Union?
No Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites are currently registered in Union, NC in the EPA database.
How many toxic release facilities are in Union?
Union, NC has 22 TRI-reporting facilities on record with the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, with a combined total of 495.9K lbs in reported toxic releases. TRI facilities self-report annual chemical release data to the EPA.
What is the air quality in Union?
In 2024, Union, NC recorded a median AQI of 41 and a peak AQI of 97. 87% 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 Union?
Union, NC has 6 EPA-regulated water systems. 4 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 Union?
Environmental compliance in Union, 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