A mound of garbage at the Knott Landfill in Deschutes County, which is set to close in 2029.
Joni Land / OPB
Deschutes County, Oregon, announced this week it will reconvene its Solid Waste Advisory Committee, or SWAC, in order to choose a new landfill site.
After negotiations to purchase a property disintegrated, the county is again searching for a new location. The SWAC will now consider smaller sites and potentially sites outside of Deschutes County.
Last year, the committee chose a site to recommend to Deschutes County officials, Moon Pit, owned by Moon Pit LLC and operated by Hooker Creek Construction Materials. The county entered into negotiations with Hooker Creek to purchase the land, but after nine months the deal fell through, according to Stephanie Marshall, county senior assistant legal counsel.
The current landfill is projected to reach capacity in the spring of 2031. A new landfill has not been built in the state of Oregon in 34 years.
Sending trash to other counties or neighboring states is something Director of Solid Waste Tim Brownell said will have to stay “on the table.” But, he added, “it’s not the recommended approach by our solid waste management plan.”
The impasse sets the county back to “phase 2” in its process, Brownell said, in a county board of commissioners meeting Wednesday.
Marshall told commissioners the sticking points during negotiations included disagreements over how to create the contracts, the seller’s desire for a quick closing of the sale, appraisal and figuring out how much water rights would cost.
The SWAC will need to make another recommendation to county commissioners. Brownell said that could take two to six months or potentially longer. Originally, the SWAC recommended Moon Pit over another finalist site called Roth East.
He added that smaller sites or sites that were previously ruled out could be considered. Other issues like sage grouse habitats, environmental reviews and zoning requirements will also factor into site choice.
Commissioner Phil Chang asked for a rethinking of the site selection process to avoid another “compromised position” like the county ended up with Hooker Creek. He also supported looking at smaller sites, something Brownell said will be considered this time around.
Brownell said he expects to reconvene the committee in April.
