State Audit: Johnston County Has 10 Former Landfill Sites On DEQ Watch List

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — A new state audit has identified 10 former landfill sites in Johnston County that are part of North Carolina’s Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program, including one in Four Oaks that ranks among the highest-priority sites in the state for future investigation.

The audit, released Monday by the N.C. Office of the State Auditor, found the Department of Environmental Quality has identified 688 former landfill sites statewide that operated before modern environmental regulations took effect in 1983. However, 534 of those sites — nearly 78 percent — have never been investigated, leaving state officials uncertain whether contamination exists or poses a threat to nearby residents.

The report stresses that the listing of a site does not mean contamination has been found. Instead, the sites have been identified as former municipal disposal areas that may warrant investigation.

According to the audit, Johnston County’s identified sites include:

• Four Oaks Dump — statewide risk ranking 56
• Clayton Ball Field — 105
• Selma Refuse Dump — 134
• Benson Refuse Dump — 224
• Pine Level Dump — 230
• Old Smithfield Landfill — 441
• Smithfield Refuse Dump — 458
• Princeton Dump — 514
• Kenly Dump — 556
• Newton Grove Dump — 565

The Four Oaks site is the county’s highest-ranked location on the state’s priority list. The rankings are based on factors including landfill size and proximity to homes, schools, churches, day cares and drinking water wells. They do not indicate that contamination has been confirmed.

State Auditor Dave Boliek said the findings highlight the magnitude of the challenge facing the Department of Environmental Quality.

“The bottom line is there are hundreds of potentially hazardous landfill sites across North Carolina, and despite tax dollars supporting a program meant to investigate these sites, 78% haven’t been examined,” Boliek said.

The audit found that more than 80 percent of the identified landfill sites statewide are located within 1,000 feet of homes, schools, churches, day cares or drinking water wells. At locations where investigations have been completed, state officials have found contaminants including methane, lead, trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,4-dioxane. However, the report cautions that investigators do not know whether similar conditions exist at the hundreds of sites that have not yet been evaluated.

The Department of Environmental Quality estimates it costs an average of $1.9 million to investigate, assess and, if necessary, remediate a single site. At current funding levels, the auditor estimates it could take decades to work through the remaining inventory.

DEQ agreed with the audit’s findings and recommendations, which call for additional funding and changes to help investigators gain access to privately owned landfill sites.