Methane detectors placed in homes near the Cliffdale Landfill have prompted renewed questions about the safety of living near the site, after one home reported three alarm activations tied to elevated gas levels.
The concerns follow an October community meeting in which residents learned that hazardous gases detected near the landfill had exceeded North Carolina’s cancer‑risk thresholds for indoor air and, in some cases, reached levels that could pose an explosion hazard.
As part of its investigation, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) has been installing methane alarms and soil‑gas probes at 37 properties surrounding the landfill. The agency said it’s still completing a round of soil‑gas sampling and laboratory analysis. Once those results are in, NCDEQ plans to release a public report—a process expected to take a couple of months.
In the meantime, the family in the affected home on Leslie Drive has faced repeated evacuations and uncertainty about when it is safe to return.
“I am very concerned for their safety and the safety of my neighbors, it’s very alarming,” said homeowner Gwendolyn McCoy.
The 60-acre Cliffdale Landfill operated from 1972 to 1980 on county‑owned property that borders Levi Road, Martha Court, Lowell Harris Road, Leslie Drive, and Beverly Drive. The landfill is one of North Carolina’s pre‑regulatory landfill (PRLF) sites, which are older landfills that were never lined or built under modern environmental standards. NCDEQ is investigating whether methane and other gases from the landfill are migrating into nearby neighborhoods.
Largely due to poor recording keeping, the landfill was not identified by the state as a PRLF until 2020, according to NCDEQ. Before then, homeowners told CityView they had no idea what they were living next to.
The alarms in McCoy’s home sounded on October 30, November. 7, and November 15, according to NCDEQ, records show that the activations occurred because methane levels inside the house reached 10% of the lower explosive limit—a hazardous and potentially explosive concentration that serves as a serious warning sign and requires immediate evacuation.
Records from the Fayetteville Fire Department show that the home does not use natural gas or propane, and fire crews were unable to identify an internal source of combustible gas.
Emails obtained by CityView show that before the alarms sounded, NCDEQ had not informed the fire department that methane alarms had been installed in the neighborhood or that the agency was investigating potential vapor intrusion from the landfill, leading to some initial confusion, emails between fire and state officials show.
The fire department is the main responding agency to the calls.
Laura Smith, Fayetteville’s emergency management coordinator, told CityView that when firefighters arrive, they conduct air monitoring and request a hazardous materials team if elevated readings are found.
“If readings indicate the home is unsafe to occupy, the fire department will ventilate the structure until conditions improve,” she said.
If the home cannot be safely reoccupied, assistance is available to help residents secure temporary shelter while coordinating with NCDEQ.
After the third alarm, McCoy and family members stayed away from the home for a week while NCDEQ installed a methane vapor intrusion mitigation system on the structure.
NCDEQ Public Information Officer Katherine Lucas told CityView that monitoring of the device indicated the system is working to reduce methane levels and the house is safe to occupy.
Still, McCoy said she is not yet convinced the issue is behind them.
“I’m still highly concerned. Time will tell if this will work,” she said.
NCDEQ said it plans to install a larger vapor‑collection system along the landfill boundary on Cumberland County property to capture methane in the soil before it can migrate toward homes. Pilot testing was completed in December, and full installation is expected to occur in phases through the summer.
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
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