Support for this reporting was provided by the Wake Forest University Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative. Celeste Gracia is a 2024 fellow of the program.
A constant stream of 18-wheeler trucks file into the Sampson County landfill, located next to a small, historically-Black community named Snow Hill. The front of the facility is adorned with lush landscaping. From afar, it looks like a large hill of dirt.
“I call it a toxic dump, but most people here call it a landfill,” said longtime resident Whitney Parker.
The landfill has a well documented history of air pollution. However, testing by state environmental officials last year found toxic chemicals known as PFAS in the landfill's groundwater, surface water and leachate, a liquid that's formed when rain water draws out chemicals from waste. PFAS was also found in nearby private wells, which provide drinking water for residents.
This week, the Southern Environmental Law Center announced a proposed legal agreement with GFL Environmental, the owner and operator of the landfill.
Under the settlement, GFL said it will reduce PFAS discharges, establish an air monitoring system for the landfill’s gas emissions, and create a community fund for Snow Hill.
Snow Hill residents hope the agreement will bring them closer to clean air and water again.
"What do you find in a dump? Death."
The landfill was established in 1973 despite community outcry. Today, the facility spans nearly 1,000 acres and accepts over 1.8 million tons of waste annually. Trash comes from across North Carolina, which includes business, commercial yard and residential waste.
But legal documents say the landfill has also previously accepted ash waste from power plants, remediation waste from a polluted site in Brunswick County, and PFAS-contaminated sludge from the Chemours chemical manufacturing facility in Fayetteville.
Since the landfill opened, several Snow Hill residents say their community neighbors have died from chronic illnesses. While there’s no direct evidence, residents believe air and water pollution from the landfill is to blame for their health issues. Residents also describe the smell of the landfill as pungent and unbearable.
"It wakes you up in your sleep. You can’t go back to sleep," said Parker. "It gets in your throat, your ears, your eyes, sinus infection — you name it."
Dr. Eddie Powell has been practicing medicine in Sampson County for over 40 years. He said most of his patients have respiratory issues, including asthma and sinus problems.
"I had a cousin who lived in Snow Hill and he died from cancer," said Powell. "I don’t have no proof because he wasn’t a patient of mine, but I would almost bet money it was because he was drinking water from that dump."
Powell considers himself a first-generation activist. When the facility was first proposed in the 1970s, Powell spoke out against it. Even now, he said it’s clear this is blatant environmental racism.
"We are talking about money against lives. And when it comes to certain lives, they’re cheaper than others," said Powell.
State officials find PFAS in waters around landfill
Last year, the state Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, began requiring all solid waste sanitary landfills in North Carolina to test for PFAS in their groundwater, surface water and leachate.
PFAS are toxic, human-made chemicals highly present in North Carolina waterways. Available research shows PFAS can cause kidney cancer, birth defects and increased cholesterol.
In September 2023, PFAS results from the Sampson County landfill were so high, DEQ decided to test nearby residential wells. PFAS contamination was found in several of those private wells.
Michael Scott, director of the North Carolina Division of Waste Management, said while there’s PFAS pollution in the landfill’s groundwater, surface water and leachate — and there’s PFAS pollution in nearby well water — his agency has not established a direct connection between the two.
Scott acknowledged the frustration and worries residents have.
"We totally hear those concerns and understand them. PFAS … should not be in people’s drinking water," said Scott. "We want to bring solutions. That starts with testing a well so that a homeowner knows whether these compounds are in their well water."
Next steps for private well contamination
As of July 2024, DEQ has sampled 30 private wells within 2,000 feet of the landfill. The agency is providing bottled water to five of those households because their wells have unsafe drinking levels of PFAS.
DEQ said after PFAS is found in a private well, remediation can include connecting to the county’s water line, or installing water treatment filters in people’s homes. Scott said his agency is working with local residents on these measures. Local residents said they’ve had little communication from state officials, and criticize DEQ for what they call a lack of transparency.
Earlier this summer, DEQ sent a notice of regulatory requirement to GFL Environmental, the owner and operator of the landfill. The notice requires GFL to "take immediate action to terminate and control the discharge, and mitigate any hazards resulting from exposure to the pollutants."
"(GFL is) now doing additional monitoring for PFAS, especially over the next few months, as they look to determine the exact sources of PFAS at the landfill and possible remedies to address the detections of these compounds," said Scott.
GFL Environmental did not respond to multiple WUNC requests for comment.
Legal agreement announced this week
In February and May of this year, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed two separate notices of intents to sue GFL Environmental. In response, GFL and SELC entered into negotiations and settled on an agreement that was filed in federal court this week. A federal judge is expected to approve the agreement next month.
"This is a really important step forward," said SELC attorney Maia Hutt. "This is an opportunity to stop the pollution and have some accountability and create something that works for the community going forward."
Hutt added: DEQ does have the authority to require landfills to adopt odor management plans.
“What we've had to do here is come up with a plan to fill that gap, to be honest,” said Hutt. “And, in the meantime, while the monitoring program is … being implemented, GFL has committed to meeting regularly with the community (and) to developing a system for taking community complaints.”
Snow Hill resident Whitney Parker said he’s grateful for this milestone, but he's skeptical.
"I don't have a lot of faith in GFL. This is a 30 plus year situation," said Parker. "All of a sudden now, they're trying to be nice neighbors. So it's kind of hard to get excited until you actually see if change is going to happen.”
