Commissioners review criteria for new landfill

On Monday, June 13, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners reviewed proposed criteria to help evaluate potential locations for the County’s new solid waste management facility.

There is not yet a list of potential sites under consideration. The County’s only landfill, Knott Landfill, is expected to be at capacity by 2029. As a result, the County is working to identify a site for a new disposal facility to serve the growing region.

The County developed the proposed siting evaluation criteria in collaboration with the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC), which will continue to support an open and transparent process to identify a site. The criteria includes environmental considerations, land use, site characteristics, and engineering considerations.

While the need for landfill capacity is driving the siting effort, opportunities for related amenities such as waste diversion for recycling, bio-digestion for the production of renewable natural gas, organics composting, and other waste management-related operations may also be considered as part of the final site design. The transfer station, recycling center, composting facility, and household hazardous waste facility at Knott Landfill will continue to operate at the current location, and be open to the public even after the landfill closure.

The County will accept public comment on the proposed siting criteria through Monday, June 20. Interested parties can learn about the proposed criteria in detail by accessing the Board’s meeting packet at https://bit.ly/DC-6-13-22 and provide written comments by emailing [email protected]