Air Quality & Emissions¶
Charleston Emissions Analysis¶
The air quality analysis for the Port of Charleston examines emissions from at-berth vessel operations across SCPA terminals — Wando Welch Terminal, North Charleston Terminal, Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, and Columbus Street Terminal — and their impact on surrounding communities.
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No Comprehensive Port Emissions Inventory
The South Carolina Ports Authority has not published a comprehensive port-wide emissions inventory. Estimates rely on ICCT Port Emissions Screening data, SCPA vessel traffic statistics (2.8M TEUs annually), and EPA emission factors cross-referenced with comparable East Coast container ports.
Data Sources¶
| Source | Publisher | Data Provided | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirNow / AQS | EPA | Real-time and historical PM2.5, PM10, ozone, NO₂ | aqs.epa.gov |
| SC DHEC Air Monitoring | SC DHEC | State air quality monitoring network | scdhec.gov |
| National Emissions Inventory | EPA | Port-area emissions from mobile and stationary sources | epa.gov/air-emissions-inventories |
| ICCT Port Emissions Screening | ICCT | Vessel-level at-berth emission estimates | theicct.org |
| Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) | EPA | Facility-level chemical releases — 50+ TRI facilities in Charleston County | epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program |
| AIS Vessel Data | MarineCadastre | Vessel position reports for call identification and dwell time | marinecadastre.gov |
Monitoring Stations¶
SC DHEC operates continuous air quality monitoring stations around Charleston Harbor and the port industrial corridor:
| Station | Location | Proximity to Port | Pollutants | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston (Remount Road) | North Charleston industrial area | < 2 miles | PM2.5, O₃ | SC DHEC |
| Charleston (Fire Station 11) | North Charleston residential | ~2 miles | PM2.5 | SC DHEC |
| Charleston (Hanahan) | North Charleston adjacent | ~4 miles | O₃ | SC DHEC |
| Mount Pleasant | Across Cooper River from port | ~3 miles | PM2.5, O₃ | SC DHEC |
SC DHEC's monitoring network provides regulatory-grade air quality data but lacks the hyperlocal resolution of AB 617-style community monitoring present at California ports. Community-led air quality monitoring in North Charleston is limited.
Full Assessment Available
The complete analysis for this section — including census-tract-level health quantification, monetized health damages, environmental justice scoring, and scenario modeling — is available through our research services.
See the full methodology in action: Our Duluth-Superior assessment and New York/New Jersey assessment demonstrate the complete analytical depth available for every port on this site.
Contact us to discuss a site-specific assessment for this port community: research@porthealthwatch.org