Nearly 80% of former landfills in NC were never properly investigated; Wake County has riskiest site: Auditor

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Nearly 80% of former landfill sites in North Carolina have never been properly investigated, the state auditor’s office found.

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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.

The auditor’s office said more than 80% of the landfill sites are within 1,000 feet of areas considered vulnerable, including homes, schools, daycares, churches, or drinking water wells.

NCDEQ records show the site with the highest risk is the East Wake County Landfill in Knightdale as of April 2025.

As of April 2025, according to NCDEQ records, the Rocky Knoll School Site in Durham is the third-riskiest, the Nash County Landfill (Red Oak Landfill) in Red Oak is the sixth-riskiest, the Tarboro Landfill in Tarboro is the seventh-riskiest, the City of Wilson Landfill in Wilson is the eighth-riskiest, and the Southern Pines Dump in Southern Pines is the 11th-riskiest.

“The Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program is a complex issue that creates challenges from a regulatory, legal, funding, and administrative standpoint,” North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a statement. “But 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.

“This audit lays out the facts, giving taxpayers a reliable update on a longstanding government issue,” Boliek continued in his statement.

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According to the auditor’s office, the average cost to investigate, assess, and remediate a former landfill is about $1.9 million. The total cost for the remaining sites approaches $1 million.

The NCDEQ has secured 370 acres of waste, sampled 1,642 water supply wells, and provided alternate water supply to 30 homes among the 97 sites that have been investigation since the program was created, according to the auditor’s office.

In the report, the auditor’s office recommended the NCDEQU address resource constraints and strengthen its ability to obtain access to high-risk sites.

According to the report, about 78% of the former landfills are privately owned, including the East Wake County Landfill, and NCDEQ cannot investigate them without permission from the owner. The East Wake County Landfill cannot be investigated until the property owners clear debris from the site, but the owners rely on rental income from tenants on the property and cannot afford to evict them.

The auditor’s office recommended the NCDEQ clarify and strengthen its legal authority to access privately owned sites when an investigation is warranted. The NCDEQ was also advised to develop internal policies for using that authority.

In its response, the NCDEQ agreed to the recommendations from the auditor’s office.

“We appreciate [the auditor’s office] taking the time to understand how the program functions, for visiting multiple pre-regulatory landfill sites, and providing the recommendations,” the NCDEQ said in a statement.

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