RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Nearly 80% of former landfill sites in North Carolina have never been properly investigated, the state auditor’s office found.
According to the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor, landfills in the state accepted a wide range of waste before 1983 when modern environmental regulations weren’t in effect. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Protection created the Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program in 2007 to identify, assess, and remediate these sites.
In a report released on July 13, the auditor’s office found that 534 of the 688 identified sites, about 78%, have never been investigated under the program. As a result, state officials do not know if these former landfills are contaminated, if contamination has spread to nearby properties or water supplies, or if nearby residents are at risk…