Wake County residents demand action as South Wake Landfill odor intensifies
AND ALSO ON OUR NEWS AT 7
O'CLOCK.
COUNTY LANDFILL IS CAUSING
QUITE A STINK. PEOPLE WHO LIVE
IN APEX AND HOLLY SPRINGS SAY
THE SMELL FROM THE SOUTH WAKE
LANDFILL WAS GETTING WORSE.
>> IN FACT, IN THE LAST 3
MONTHS, REPORTS OF ODOR OF GONE
WAY UP WITH 139 IN JULY ALONE.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN ISSUE.
WRAL HAS REPORTED ON SINCE THE
LANDFILL OPENED IN 2008.
>> SO WE ASKED WAKE COUNTY
OFFICIALS WHAT'S BEING DONE TO
FIX THE SMELL WRAL'S HEIDI KIRK
TAKES US TO THE LANDFILL TO
SHOW US WHERE PROGRESS IS BEING
MADE.
>> THE SMELL THAT COMES FROM
THE SOUTH WAKE LANDFILL IS HARD
TO IGNORE. IT'S A PROBLEM
THAT'S PERSISTED HERE FOR
YEARS. AND WE'VE REPORTED ON
IT MANY TIMES. THE PEOPLE WHO
LIVE NEARBY SAY RECENTLY IT'S
GOTTEN WORSE. THE NELSONS NEVER
KNOW WHAT SMELLED ARE GOING TO
GET WHEN THEY WALK OUTSIDE
THEIR HOME. I WOULD SAY THERE'S
DAYS THAT YOU CAN GET
OVERWHELMING. BUT MOST OF THE
TIME, IT'S JUST LIKE THAT
FAINTS LIKE.
>> I'M I'M NEAR SOME TRASH OR
SOME TRASH CAN. AND SOME DAYS
IT'S NEARLY UNBEARABLE. I'D SAY
THERE'S DEFINITELY BEEN SOME
DAYS THAT WE WANT TO GO IN THE
BACKYARD AND PLANNED THE
PLAYGROUND. AND I TELL THE
BOYS, IT'S NOT TODAY.
>> IT'S 2 STINKY. THE NELSONS
OF HEARD A LOT OF TALK ABOUT
SOLUTIONS, BUT THEY WONDER HOW
LONG THIS WILL GO ON. I LOVE TO
HEAR MORE OF WHAT THE LONG-TERM
PLAN IS. WE TOOK THEIR
QUESTIONS TO THE DIRECTOR OF
THE DIVISION OF SOLID WASTE AND
RECYCLING JOHN ROBERSON.
>> HE SAYS THE SMELL HAS GOTTEN
WORSE WITH MORE RAINFALL AND
THE OPENING OF A NEW PART OF
THE LANDFILL. AMONG OTHER
THINGS.
>> THAT NEW PHASE OF THE
LANDFILL MEANS WE'RE IN A LOWER
ELEVATION. SO WE'RE
NOT CORPS ON ONLY CLOSER TO
THE NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT WE ARE
THE SAME ELEVATION AS THE
NEIGHBORHOODS HE SAYS THAT CAN
MAKE THE SMELL STRONGER.
BUT FIXING THAT PROBLEM IS A
PRIORITY. THE LANDFILL HAS
RECENTLY IMPROVED ITS MISTING
AND PAPER-BASED SYSTEMS TO
DISSIPATE. THE SMELL AND HIS
TRANSITION. ITS WORK TO PERIODS
OF THE DAY WHEN THE SMELL IS
EASIER TO MAINTAIN.
>> AND OTHER THINGS
>> ARE YOU TRULY DOING
EVERYTHING? THIS PROBLEM GO
AWAY?
>> IF YOU COMPARE OUR LANDFILL
TO MOST ANY OTHER LANDFILL IN
THE NATION, WE'RE DOING MORE.
WHETHER IT'S TECHNOLOGY,
WHETHER IT'S OUR MISTING
SYSTEMS, WHETHER IT'S THE WAY
WE OPERATE OUR LANDFILL.
WE'RE DOING MORE THAN JUST
ABOUT ANY LANDFILL. YOU'LL
FIND.
>> IN THE UNITED STATES.
YEAH.
>> NELSON'S ARE EAGER TO SEE
THOSE SOLUTIONS IN ACTION.
NOW, THE COUNTY DOES ENCOURAGE
YOU TO REPORT IT. IF YOU
NOTICED, ESPECIALLY ANY CHANGES
IN THAT SMELL OR IF YOU NOTICE
IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY
SAY THEY INVESTIGATE EVERY
SINGLE COMPLAINT HEIDI KIRK,
WRAL, NEWS IN WAKE COUNTY.
SO COME THIS WEEKEND, IF YOU
LIVE IN THE AREA, YOU SHOULD.
>> SEE A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE
IN THE SMELL. IF YOU EVER HAVE
A STORY TO SHARE LIKE THIS ONE,
DON'T FORGET, REPORTED. JUST GO
TO WRAL DOT COM SLASH REPORT IT