But inside South Building, what really stinks is that UNC officials have yet to set a start date for cleanup of the site -- which Chancellor James Moeser stated in a letter to town officials could take more than eight years.
Local environmentalists have been concerned for years about the landfills, claiming the longer the University waits to start the cleanup, the worse the situation becomes.
The landfill, which occupies a half-acre area on the property, holds more than 128,000 gallons of chemical and medical waste dumped there by UNC's Department of Chemistry and UNC Hospitals from 1973-79. Groundwater samples taken near the facility found organic waste deposits that originated with the chemicals.
Planning for the cleanup began nearly 10 years ago, but the issue still is contaminating relations between the University and concerned residents.
But meanwhile, the landfill cleanup has continued to rot at the bottom of the chancellor's to-do list.
And get a whiff of this: Moeser's recent announcement that the University will close the Horace Williams Airport, also located on the 979-acre tract, could further push back the cleanup's start date -- or could even scrap the cleanup altogether.
Initial plans for development of a satellite campus under the University's Master Plan included an entrance near the landfill area, necessitating the need for a thorough cleanup. But with the closing of the airport, the University can use the airport area for an entrance and avoid immediate cleanup of the site.
Of course, the University points to its lack of funding for the cleanup, which is estimated to cost $20 million. While this is a steep price, the price of future medical lawsuits against the University could prove to be much more expensive if the site turns out to be harmful to residents.
Much to the dismay of local environmentalists, UNC has not yet allocated any of its own budget toward the cleanup. Instead, it is waiting (and hoping) for aid from environmental subsidies to help shoulder the costs.
