Sampson County landfill operator agrees to install treatment system for groundwater contaminated with forever chemicals

As part of a department-wide effort to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contamination in North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) has negotiated a special order by consent (SOC) with Sampson County Disposal LLC to phase in treatment and removal of PFAS from groundwater. 

PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals widely found in commercial, industrial and consumer products that are often disposed of in landfills. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment and can build up in humans and animals. An estimated 3.5 million North Carolinians drink tap water that has PFAS levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency health-based standard scheduled to go into effect in 2029. The deadline may be extended to 2031, according to the agency’s recent public announcement.

“Forever chemicals like PFAS and GenX cause significant health harms, and this agreement demonstrates Sampson County Disposal’s commitment to address PFAS contamination in our water,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “Installing this treatment system will help protect water quality for residents of Sampson County and North Carolinians downstream. While the landfill is a receiver and not a producer of PFAS chemicals, DEQ will continue to work to address PFAS discharges at the source – the most cost-effective way to protect public health and lower the cost of meeting federal drinking water standards.”

The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, the rule-making body for NCDEQ, and Sampson County Disposal, a subsidiary of GFL Environmental Inc., entered into the special order by consent on Nov. 10. As part of the agreement, Sampson County Disposal will install an advanced treatment system limiting discharge of five PFAS compounds (PFOS, PFOA, GenX, PFNA and PFHxS) and report measurements of all remaining PFAS chemicals listed in the SOC. The SOC requires the treatment system to achieve a minimum of 50% reduction by Jan. 14, 2026, and 90% by April 14, 2026. It requires the landfill to meet final concentration levels listed in the SOC starting Nov. 15, 2026.  GFL has been cooperating with NCDEQ to reach this agreement, which is the result of coordinated effort between inter-agency divisions and GFL, with the goal of identifying and implementing best available technologies to meet the SOC goals. 
     
Sampson County Disposal is also required to obtain a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from NCDEQ’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) for the discharges to comply with state water quality standards. DWR may require additional monitoring and/or treatment for additional parameters in the NPDES permit.

In 2023, the NCDEQ Division of Waste Management (DWM) began requiring PFAS testing and analysis of all landfill groundwater, surface water and landfill leachate — water that drains through a landfill — at solid waste sanitary landfills in the state. Sampling by the Sampson County landfill operator and by DWM in 2023 and 2024 revealed PFAS-contaminated groundwater being discharged into the nearby Bearskin Swamp from a groundwater intercept system, which collects groundwater under the landfill and directs it to two outfalls, or discharge points, into constructed wetlands adjacent to the swamp. 

DWR issued the special order by consent following a 30-day public comment period. The order and other materials are available online.