TRI Facilities
924
Very high
NC · EPA TRI · SDWIS · Superfund
North Carolina environmental disclosure record
According to EPA's 2023 Toxics Release Inventory, Safe Drinking Water Information System, and Superfund National Priorities List extracts, this is North Carolina's full public registry profile, toxic releases, drinking-water systems, and Superfund sites in one place.
- TRI facilities
- 924
- Reported releases
- 284.5M lbs
- #13 of 56
- Water systems
- 1,958
- Superfund NPL sites
- 42
North Carolina vs. every U.S. state
Cumulative TRI-reported release pounds, with this state marked in the national distribution
284M lbs Top 23% higher than 77% of 56 states with TRI reporters
Each bar is a $1M-wide band; taller bars hold more states with TRI reporters. The dashed line and filled bar mark this facility. Hover, focus, or tap a bar for its full count, share, and position.
Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Toxics Release Inventory · 2023 reporting year
NC regulatory profile by statute
Violation/site counts mapped to the EPA statutes this portal tracks
- CWA · NPDES
- RCRA · Subtitle C 42
What this shows Counts are mapped to statute as a structural proxy and reflect reported activity, not toxicity-weighted or population-adjusted risk. Clean Air Act (Title V) permit data is not currently ingested by this portal, so air-permit compliance is not shown here.
How North Carolina compares across two EPA disclosure measures
The highlighted point is North Carolina. The vertical axis is the share of tracked water systems with at least one health-based SDWIS record; the horizontal axis is TRI-reported pounds per facility on a logarithmic scale so the full state distribution stays readable. The crosshairs use the portal’s published national benchmark medians.
This matrix compares disclosure rates, not toxicity, exposure, current compliance, or drinking-water safety. A lower position on either axis is not a safety rating; use the underlying facility and water-system records for context.
According to EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL extracts, North Carolina (NC) lists 924 TRI-reporting facilities disclosing 284.5M lbs of toxic releases. The same extracts list 42 Superfund sites and 1,958 EPA-regulated water systems, of which 656 carry health-based SDWIS violation rows. PlainEnviro's composite environmental health score for North Carolina is 58/100 (grade F), benchmarked against all U.S. states on chemical release intensity, drinking-water health violations, Superfund site burden, and water violation rate. This is a percentile-derived composite from federal disclosure counts, not a clinical health-risk assessment.
F 58
North Carolina Environmental Health Score
A percentile-benchmarked 0–100 composite from 4 EPA federal datasets, with weight redistribution for any unavailable dimension
Chemical Release Intensity D 64
308K (lbs per facility) Drinking Water Health Violations D 61
33.5% (% of systems) Superfund Site Burden F 30
4.5 (sites per 100 facilities) Water Violation Rate C 74
1.6 (violations per system) Benchmarks derived from EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL extracts across all 56 U.S. states and territories
Water Systems
1,958
High
Superfund Sites
42
High
Total Releases
284.5M lbs
Very high
Compliance Snapshot - NC
Sites with no recorded health violations 77.2%
Sites with at least one open violation 22.8%
North Carolina's profile joins three independently maintained EPA programs into one statewide record: the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI, EPCRA Section 313 industrial disclosures), the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS, Safe Drinking Water Act compliance), and the Superfund National Priorities List. Each program uses its own reporting cadence and facility-identification scheme; PlainEnviro joins them by matched facility and system location rather than a shared federal ID, so a site absent from one program is never assumed absent from another. The counts below reflect the portal's rebuild as of August 2026.
Activity clusters in counties such as Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, which account for the highest combined facility, water-system, and Superfund presence. Monitoring and reporting violations are not included in the SDWIS counts shown here.
Every figure reflects the public regulatory record as filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is not weighted for toxicity, geographic footprint, or population exposure. A state can rank high in any individual metric because of industrial history, naturally occurring contaminants in source water, or simply the number of reporting facilities, not because current residents face unsafe conditions. Drill into any county or water system below for the full disclosure record.
What does this state's environmental record show?
TRI Facilities
924
Water Systems
1,958
Superfund Sites
42
Health-Based Violation Records
3,120
Total Releases
284.5M lbs
cumulative, all reported years
Systems with Records
656
water systems
Release-over-release change
What changed for North Carolina: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year
Same facilities, both years
-1.1%
731 facilities that filed in 2022 and 2023
Whole inventory
-1.2%
56.6 million lb → 55.9 million lb, every facility that filed
Between the two reporting years, 43 facilities filed for the first time and 45 stopped filing. Facilities entering or leaving the inventory are excluded from the same-facility comparison above.
- North Carolina's total reported releases fell from 56.5 million lb in 2022 to 55.9 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- North Carolina's air releases fell from 19.0 million lb in 2022 to 16.9 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- North Carolina's water releases rose from 7.9 million lb in 2022 to 8.4 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
- North Carolina's land releases rose from 7.1 million lb in 2022 to 7.4 million lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
Largest Polluters
View all →| # | Facility | Total Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Befesa Zinc Metal LLC | 43.1M lbs |
| 2 | Pcs Phosphate Co Inc | 22.9M lbs |
| 3 | Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp - Tar Heel | 18.8M lbs |
| 4 | International Paper Riegelwood Mill | 16.1M lbs |
| 5 | Perdue Foods LLC - Lewiston Processing Plant | 12.0M lbs |
| 6 | Fortron Industries LLC | 10.8M lbs |
| 7 | Blue Ridge Paper Products LLC | 10.7M lbs |
| 8 | Cpi USA North Carolina LLC | 9.9M lbs |
| 9 | American Chrome & Chemicals | 7.0M lbs |
| 10 | Nucor Steel Hertford County | 6.3M lbs |
| 11 | Duke Energy Carolinas LLC - Marshall Steam Station | 6.1M lbs |
| 12 | Westrock Kraft Paper LLC | 5.4M lbs |
| 13 | Duke Energy Progress LLC - Roxboro Steam Electric Plant | 5.4M lbs |
| 14 | Domtar Paper Co Llc-Plymouth Mill | 5.1M lbs |
| 15 | Cpi USA North Carolina LLC | 4.8M lbs |
| 16 | Nexeo Solutions LLC | 4.7M lbs |
| 17 | McIeast-Mcb Camlej Main Facility | 4.1M lbs |
| 18 | International Paper- New Bern Mill | 4.0M lbs |
| 19 | Duke Energy Carolinas LLC - Rogers Energy Complex | 3.7M lbs |
| 20 | Venator Chemicals LLC | 3.1M lbs |
Water Quality
Systems with Health Violations
| Water System | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| CARTHAGE, TOWN OF | 4,307 | 172 |
| ENFIELD WATER SYSTEM | 1,775 | 86 |
| CIRCLE H MHP | 68 | 64 |
| HAMLET WATER SYSTEM | 10,635 | 54 |
| MOUNT PLEASANT, TOWN OF | 1,786 | 51 |
| PENDER COUNTY UTILITIES | 32,302 | 47 |
| MONTGOMERY COUNTY WATER SYSTEM | 15,362 | 45 |
| EDGECOMBE WATER & SEWER DISTRICT | 14,485 | 41 |
| HENDERSON-KERR LAKE REG WTR | 14,937 | 39 |
| SOUTH GRANVILLE WTR&SEWER AUTHORITY | 18,555 | 36 |
| DALLAS, TOWN OF | 8,212 | 35 |
| KNIGHTDALE MHP ESTATES LLC | 285 | 35 |
| FOUR OAKS, TOWN OF | 2,302 | 31 |
| LEXINGTON, CITY OF | 19,632 | 30 |
| TOPSAIL BEACH, TOWN OF | 3,495 | 30 |
| ROCKINGHAM CO - 220 CORRIDOR | 1,200 | 30 |
| STANLY CO-PINEY POINT DIST | 1,013 | 28 |
| RAMSEUR, TOWN OF | 1,790 | 28 |
| BESSEMER CITY, CITY OF | 5,730 | 27 |
| MICRO, TOWN OF (COUNTY LINE) | 107 | 27 |
Cities with Water Issues
Cary
709 water systems
Charlotte
146 water systems
Durham
43 water systems
Cullowhee
30 water systems
Raleigh
23 water systems
Chapel Hill
20 water systems
Banner Elk
18 water systems
Asheville
17 water systems
Hendersonville
15 water systems
Newport
14 water systems
Sanford
12 water systems
Boone
12 water systems
Clinton
11 water systems
Jacksonville
10 water systems
Marion
9 water systems
Garner
9 water systems
Carthage
9 water systems
Statesville
8 water systems
Albemarle
8 water systems
Lucama
8 water systems
Superfund Sites (42)
Counties (100 total)
| County | Facilities |
|---|---|
| Wake | 34 |
| Mecklenburg | 76 |
| Guilford | 65 |
| Durham | 13 |
| Gaston | 28 |
| Buncombe | 25 |
| Rowan | 26 |
| Catawba | 33 |
| Jackson | 2 |
| Iredell | 30 |
| Henderson | 18 |
| Randolph | 21 |
| Alamance | 13 |
| Cleveland | 23 |
| Cabarrus | 23 |
| Watauga | 0 |
| Carteret | 7 |
| Forsyth | 26 |
| Johnston | 14 |
| New Hanover | 15 |
Showing top 20 counties by environmental activity. North Carolina has 100 counties total.
Cities with Environmental Records
Charlotte
67 facilities · 146 water systems
Greensboro
34 facilities · 7 water systems
High Point
23 facilities · 1 water systems
Statesville
19 facilities · 8 water systems
Salisbury
19 facilities · 7 water systems
Winston Salem
19 facilities · 0 water systems
Concord
16 facilities · 3 water systems
Fayetteville
14 facilities · 3 water systems
Monroe
14 facilities · 3 water systems
Wilmington
12 facilities · 7 water systems
Kings Mountain
12 facilities · 6 water systems
Hickory
12 facilities · 5 water systems
Raleigh
11 facilities · 23 water systems
Morganton
11 facilities · 3 water systems
Durham
10 facilities · 43 water systems
Goldsboro
10 facilities · 7 water systems
Greenville
10 facilities · 6 water systems
Shelby
10 facilities · 3 water systems
Sanford
9 facilities · 12 water systems
Asheboro
9 facilities · 3 water systems
Frequently Asked Questions
How many TRI facilities are in North Carolina? ▼
North Carolina has 924 facilities that report to the EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). These facilities have collectively reported 284.5M lbs in total toxic chemical releases. TRI data is self-reported annually by facilities that manufacture, process, or use listed toxic chemicals above threshold amounts.
Does North Carolina have Superfund sites? ▼
Yes, North Carolina has 42 sites on the EPA Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Superfund sites are contaminated locations identified for long-term cleanup under the EPA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
What does EPA SDWIS list for drinking water in North Carolina? ▼
North Carolina has 1,958 EPA-regulated water systems in the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) extract used here. 656 water systems have a health-based violation row (MCL exceedance) in this historical extract. A past registry row is not a current drinkability verdict. For current utility conditions, contact the local water utility or the North Carolina drinking water program. Source: EPA SDWIS.
What environmental data is available for North Carolina? ▼
PlainEnviro provides three categories of EPA environmental data for North Carolina: Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data covering 924 industrial facilities, Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) data for 1,958 water systems, and Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) data for 42 contaminated sites.
How does North Carolina compare to other states on EPA disclosure counts? ▼
North Carolina has 924 TRI facilities with 284.5M lbs in total releases, 42 Superfund sites, and 3,120 water system violations on record. These are federal disclosure counts; they are not toxicity-weighted or population-adjusted risk scores. Source: EPA TRI, SDWIS, and Superfund NPL databases.
What is North Carolina's environmental health score? ▼
PlainEnviro's composite environmental health score for North Carolina is 58/100 (grade F). This score combines four percentile-benchmarked dimensions from EPA federal extracts: chemical release intensity per TRI facility, drinking-water health violation rate from SDWIS, Superfund site burden relative to industrial activity, and overall water violation rate. Scores are benchmarked against all 56 U.S. states and territories. When a dimension lacks data, its weight redistributes to the remaining dimensions so the score never deflates from missing inputs. This is a registry-count composite, not a clinical exposure or health-outcome assessment.
Explore More Data for North Carolina
TRI Facilities in North Carolina →
Every toxic-release facility reporting in the state, ranked by volume
Drinking Water Systems in North Carolina →
Community water systems and their violation records
Air Quality in North Carolina →
County-level AQI from EPA monitoring stations
Compare states by burden →
EJ screening scores for every U.S. county
State environmental rankings →
How states compare on releases, water and Superfund
Browse all states →
Environmental profiles for every U.S. state
About This Data
This page aggregates environmental data from three EPA programs for North Carolina: the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) for industrial chemical releases, the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) for water quality, and the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) for hazardous waste cleanup sites.
PlainEnviro presents this data without advocacy framing. Numbers reflect reported data and may not capture all environmental activity. For specific health or environmental concerns, contact your state environmental agency.
What to do with North Carolina's data
Use this state profile as a starting point, then drill into the specific dataset that matters to you.
- Check the 924 TRI facilities reporting in North Carolina for the largest reported releases near a specific county. View facilities
- 656 water systems in the state have a recorded health-based violation, check if yours is one of them. Check water systems
- See how North Carolina compares to other states on releases, water violations, and Superfund sites. State rankings
Reported data reflects what facilities and agencies disclose to the EPA; it is not a complete measure of environmental risk or a substitute for local guidance.
Use and verify this record
North Carolina's profile brings together EPA release, drinking-water, and Superfund records. It reports the underlying programs without making a health or environmental-risk determination.
State environmental figures are computed directly from EPA data. The methodology records the joins, definitions, and refresh cadence for each program.
PlainEnviro renders public EPA records directly from its data pipeline; no figure on this page is typed in by an editor. See the editorial standards and corrections policy for how source changes and reported errors are handled.