State Government

Clean-up Complete on PCB Landfill

State officials have nearly completed five years of work to detoxify 60,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil stored at a Warren County landfill, ending one of North Carolina’s worst environmental disasters. The PCB-laced soil was dumped illegally along Eastern North Carolina roadsides in the late 1970s. Officials said crews anticipated completing the detoxification work by the end of September and being off site before year’s end.

“The landfill’s detoxification is a watershed event for the many people who came together and worked diligently to identify and carry through a solution,” said Gov. Mike Easley, who has helped steer more than $6.1 million to the project since taking office.

“Once a significant environmental problem and eyesore, this property will soon be returned to beneficial public use,” Easley added. Options being discussed for the 142-acre tract include building a community park.

In all, $16.2 million has been spent to detoxify or neutralize the contaminated soil. Funding came from a variety of sources. The General Assembly appropriated $1 million for the project in 1999 and reserved an additional $7 million to be released if matching federal funds could be found.

The landfill was constructed in 1982 to contain PCB-contaminated soil from more than 210 miles of North Carolina roadsides contaminated by the illegal dumping of PCBs.

 

SAT Scores Rise: North Carolina’s 2003 average total SAT score moved up three points, breaking the 1,000-point threshold for the first time and pulling within 25 points of the national average. The state’s average SAT score, at 1,001, now exceeds the Southeast average of 999.

North Carolina’s score continued to rise even as the participation rate of students increased. At 68 percent, North Carolina has the 13th largest SAT participation rate in the nation. Generally, among states, the higher the percentage of students taking the SAT, the lower the score.

North Carolina has improved its score each year since 1990, except in 1994 when there was no change. SAT scores here have increased 19 points over the past five years and 37 points over 10 years.

In 2003, the average total score of North Carolina’s African-American students remained the same at 839. White students had an average SAT score of 1,050, increasing the gap between these two groups by four points from the previous year.North Carolina’s Hispanic students scored 961 in 2003, the same as the previous year’s score.

The chart below shows the SAT scores of all 117 school systems in the state.

School System            SAT Score

Chapel Hill-Carrboro            1,178
Transylvania County  1,087
Watauga County  1,078
Buncombe County  1,072
Elkin City            1,072
Wake County            1,067
Polk County            1,063
Hickory City            1,053
Shelby City            1,049
Henderson County  1,049
Moore County            1,044
Haywood County  1,043
Jackson County            1,042
Cabarrus County  1,037
New Hanover County  1,037
Madison County            1,036
Davie County            1,035
Yancey County            1,034
Caldwell County            1,033
Cherokee County  1,032
Swain County            1,032
Burke County            1,031
Roanoke Rapids City      1,025
Mount Airy City            1,021
Asheville City            1,020
McDowell County  1,019
Carteret County            1,018
Catawba County            1,016
Johnston County  1,015
Surry County            1,015
Granville County            1,012
Clay County            1,009
Wilkes County            1,009
Union County            1,008
Hyde County            1,007
Orange County            1,007
Newton-Conover City      1,006
Dare County            1,006
W-S/Forsyth County  1,005
Macon County            1,003
Charlotte-Mecklenburg            1,001
Chatham County  1,000
Asheboro City            1,000
Durham County            999
Mooresville City            999
Brunswick County  998
Craven County            998
Mitchell County            998
Davidson County  997
Yadkin County            997
Guilford County            996
Avery County            994
Onslow County            994
Pitt County            993
Iredell-Statesville            991
Rowan-Salisbury            989
Kings Mountain City      988
Currituck County  988
Ashe County            987
Lee County            985
Beaufort Couonty            983
Graham County            982
Lincoln County            981
Camden County            980
Gaston County            980
Cleveland County  978
Alexander County  977
Wilson County            977
Edenton-Chowan County            976
Harnett County            976
Alamance Burlington            975
Alleghany County  972
Stokes County            969
Randolph County  966
Pender County            965
Pamlico County            962
Kannapolis city            961
Lenoir County            960
Stanly County            960
Rockingham County  957
Franklin County            953
Person County            952
Wayne County            951
Rutherford County  950
Cumberland County  946
Clinton City            943
Richmond County  935
Sampson County  932
Nash-Rocky Mount   929
Pacquotank County  929
Martin County            928
Lexington City            924
Perquimans County  924
Greene County            921
Thomasville City            920
Montgomery County  914
Duplin County            913
Scotland County            907
Tyrrell County            905
Hoke County            899
Edgecombe County  896
Gates County            890
Columbus County  888
Whiteville City            888
Anson County            886
Bladen County            882
Vance County            873
Caswell County            870
Robeson County            869
Warren County            862
Cherokee Central  847
Jones County            829
Washington County  816
Hertford County            799
Bertie County            790
Northampton County  790
Halifax County            782
Weldon City            776


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