Greenville County's Environment

Environmental Statistics as of 2007

Transportation and Utilities constitute the major contributors to Greenville County's air pollution.

Transportation accounts for 53% of Greenville County's air pollution.

In 2005, the EPA air quality standard for ozone levels was set at .085 parts per million. A new standard of .075 has been set for the year 2013. The county is currently in attainment.

The County's current ozone level is .083 parts per million. Under the new standard, the county will not be in attainment.

15% of the County's land area is currently protected as open space - totaling 74,900 acres.

35,000 acres of the County's protected open space consists of state parks. 26,000 acres consist of watershed lands.

There are 128 plant and animal species in the County that are listed as either endangered or threatened - found in 397 different locations.

Since April 2004, 7 new species have been added to the County's endangered and threatened species list. Since April 2006, 1 species has been removed from the list - the Eastern Cougar.

• 8 species are classified G1 or G2.
  • * G1 classification applies to species that are "critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity or because of some factors making it especially vulnerable to extinction," according to the SCDNR Web site.
  • * G2 species are those that are "imperiled globally because of rarity or factor(s) making it vulnerable."
• 43 species are classified as S1.
  • * S1 and S2 classifications describe the same levels of danger for species on a statewide scale.