McDowell County, NC
The federal environmental record for McDowell County (population 44,893): what is on file, where it is, and what remains open. Sources and retrieval dates are on the methodology page.
0
Superfund NPL sites
3
federal cleanup sites
1
PFAS-detecting water systems
3
TRI facilities
26
open tank releases
Drinking water: PFAS testing
Public water systems serving McDowell with at least one PFAS detection under UCMR5. The federal limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 ng/L; EPA proposed in May 2026 to rescind the limits for the other compounds, which are shown for information.
| System | Highest results | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| OLD FORT, TOWN OF NC0156025 | PFBS: 5.1 ng/L | detected |
On a system with detections? Testing and treatment options
Facilities reporting toxic releases (2024)
3 facilities in McDowell filed TRI reports for 2024, totalling 30k lb released.
| Facility | City | Top chemicals | Total released |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. | MARION | Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Polycyclic aromatic compounds | 30k lb |
| DODGE INDUSTRIAL | MARION | Nickel, Manganese | 15 lb |
| CRANE CHEMPHARMA & ENERGY CORP. | MARION | Chromium, Nickel | 0 lb |
Underground fuel tanks
EPA's UST Finder records 173 tank facilities in McDowell: 164 tanks in service and 420 closed. 101 fuel releases are on record, of which 26 remain open. Open releases are cleanups that have not reached "no further action".
Radon
EPA maps McDowell as Zone 2, moderate predicted indoor radon (2 to 4 pCi/L average). Radon and air quality are covered in depth on lung.com.
The record for one specific address
County figures blur what matters: distance. The Address Environmental Report runs these same federal datasets against one address and reports every site, tank, polluter and water result around it, with distances, in about a minute.
Get the report - $39All federal cleanup sites on file
The wider Superfund enterprise inventory (SEMS) for McDowell, including sites assessed but never listed. Presence here records that EPA had reason to look, not a finding of danger.
- NEBO HOUSE SPILLNEBO
- NORTH FORK RIVER FISH KILLMARION
- W COURT STREET RESIDENTIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIALSMARION