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Residents and committee raise questions as Republic Services begins landfill work in former quarry
Summary
Public commenters and Disposal Site Advisory Committee members said Republic Services has started moving material into a former quarry at Coffin Butte landfill; speakers referenced Benton County code chapter 77 and the Benton County Talks Trash work group report that estimated 14–16 years of additional capacity if the quarry is used.
Mark Yeager, a Benton County resident, told the Disposal Site Advisory Committee on Oct. 9 that Republic Services has begun construction to expand Coffin Butte Landfill into a former quarry and that Benton County code requires a conditional use permit for such work. "Chapter 77 of the Benton County code requires a conditional use permit for this action," Yeager said during public comment.
Yeager and other committee members said the county's Benton County Talks Trash (BCTT) work group produced findings and recommendations about whether moving waste into the quarry required a conditional use permit and that some members feel the county has not followed up on those recommendations. "The County has ignored all of those discussions," Yeager said, adding the county maintained "that no conditional use permit is required." Committee members also noted uncertainty about what land-use conditions, if any, apply to the quarry area.
Ian McNabb, representing Republic Services, said the company and county have been "very transparent" about constructing a cell in the landfill core area this year and described activity to extract aggregate to create volumetric room. Committee members and several participants said documents and maps that would clarify the legal status and capacity of the quarry area are not easy to locate or may predate the quarry excavation.
Multiple attendees referenced the BCTT findings that using the quarry could add 14 to 16 years of landfill capacity, but some members said they had not reviewed the specific legal-subcommittee findings recently. "The 14 to 16 years of additional capacity once they move into the quarry is contingent upon them staying under the 1,100,000 tons per year of garbage coming into the landfill," Mark Yeager said later in the discussion, adding that the number had been developed in collaboration with Republic Services.
Committee members suggested following up by locating and reviewing the BCTT legal-subcommittee report and by asking county planning staff to clarify the permitting and notification process. Chair Ken Eklund said he would try to locate the report and that committee members may request county staff or planning commission records to clarify how county land-use approval and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) permitting interact.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the quarry expansion at the Oct. 9 meeting. Members agreed to pursue additional information and recommended reviewing the BCTT report and county records at a later meeting.
