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Republic Services presents Coffin Butte expansion; residents and experts raise health and environment concerns
Summary
Republic Services told the Albany City Council on Sept. 24 that a proposed, smaller expansion of Coffin Butte Landfill would extend regional disposal capacity by roughly seven years and fund local programs; residents, physicians and an environmental engineer urged caution, citing PFAS, leachate, methane and unanswered monitoring questions.
Republic Services representatives presented details of a proposed expansion of Coffin Butte Landfill and answered questions from Albany City Councilors on Sept. 24, while multiple residents and experts urged the council to withhold a formal position until Benton County completes its review.
The presentation emphasized operational controls, habitat conservation and local economic benefits. Paul Coster, environmental manager for Coffin Butte and Republic Services, said the site includes “about a 560‑acre conservation area” dedicated to Oregon white oak habitat and that “we have 35 groundwater monitoring wells that we monitor, and they meet all drinking water standards.” Julie Jackson, Republic Services municipal manager, described the company’s regional recycling and renewable‑energy work and said the expansion request had been cut in half after public feedback.
The debate matters because Coffin Butte serves as a regional disposal facility for parts of western Oregon and contributes host fees and other revenue to Benton County. Republic Services’ presentation said the proposed expansion would not close Coffin Butte Road, would reduce the previously requested expansion area by 50%, and would add roughly seven years of landfill capacity — a window Republic officials and some stakeholders say is needed while a regional solid‑waste plan is developed. Benton County commissioners are scheduled to vote on the permit this fall.
Republic Services provided technical details and mitigation steps. The company reported investments “over $9,000,000 in the last six years,” installation of additional gas wells (70 total, with about 40,000 linear feet of horizontal gas piping), upgrades from open “candlestick” flares to an enclosed flare, and a methane‑to‑energy arrangement with PNGC that powers about 4,000 homes. On leachate, the company said leachate is collected via primary and secondary systems, stored, then trucked to wastewater treatment plants for disposal; the presenter said the facility produced about 38,000,000 gallons of leachate last year. The presentation also said that surface emissions and groundwater monitoring are done routinely and that Oregon DEQ requires a dual‑liner system at the site.
Councilors pressed for specifics. One asked whether the host fee figure in an earlier slide was $2.5 million; Republic clarified that figure represented only a portion of county receipts and that Benton County receives additional per‑ton fees. A councilor asked how close monitoring wells are to the landfill; Republic answered that some wells are “probably within a 100 feet of the landfill proper” and others extend to about a mile or more.
Public commenters pressed the council on health, water and climate risks. Joanna Nusio Stocks Lager, a North Albany resident, warned about “forever chemicals” and urged the council to “protect public health and reject this expansion.” Retired physician Laura Ouellette said the site sits on fractured basalt in a high‑rainfall area, described historical uses of the site, and cited EPA and Carbon Mapper findings alleging methane exceedances and historical fire responses. Mark Yeager, a registered environmental engineer and former member of county advisory groups, urged councilors not to take a position until they have “the complete picture,” noting that the Benton County Planning Commission previously denied expansion applications after lengthy hearings.
Republic Services told the council the expansion would be smaller than originally proposed, would not increase the working face size, and that the regional plan effort could benefit from the additional capacity to allow time to develop alternatives. The company said the nearest alternate disposal sites would add long trucking distances and significantly higher leachate disposal costs if regional partners refused to accept leachate; presenters cited current leachate disposal at about $0.11 per gallon and potential alternative rates up to $0.75 per gallon (and up to $0.91 per gallon if shipped to Grandview, Idaho), noting these increases would substantially raise operating costs.
No formal council action was taken at the Sept. 24 meeting; the presentation and the public comments were received for information, and councilors indicated they would follow Benton County’s process. Benton County is expected to vote on the permit application this fall.
Ending: The Coffin Butte expansion remains under consideration by Benton County; Albany councilors heard technical and policy claims from both Republic Services and residents on Sept. 24 and did not take a formal position. Additional county hearings and technical reviews remain the primary next steps.
