Fighting Creek Landfill near completion of Phase E3; county pursues South Cell permit and considers adjacent land purchase

John Phillips, Kootenai County Solid Waste director, told commissioners on April 1 that construction on the landfill's Phase E3 expansion is nearly finished and that staff are moving ahead with permitting and other planning to extend landfill capacity.

Phase E3 status: Phillips said Cell and Construction (the contractor) completed "approximately 99% of the job" after a final walkthrough in January 2025. Remaining items are electronic programming for a leachate pump station and operator training. Phillips said some erosion-control and hydroseeding work deferred by wet conditions will be completed this month. He told commissioners he expects the project closeout in April 2025.

South Cell permitting and landfill life: The department continues to work with Jacobs Engineering, Community Development and local regulators to pursue permitting for a South Cell at the Fighting Creek Landfill. Phillips said the South Cell has been planned for more than a decade and that the county's current estimate is the new area would extend the landfill’s life by "approximately 10 years" based on a 5.5% growth projection; he also noted that historical growth patterns make a longer life likely. Phillips characterized the estimate as contingent on growth assumptions and engineering design.

Leachate, gas and energy: Phillips reiterated that the county collected about 1,500 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of landfill gas and that roughly 1,000 scfm is being used by the onsite gas-to-energy plant; the balance is combusted via flares. Kootenai Renewable Energy, which owns the gas-to-energy plant, has indicated interest in adding another generator and asked the county to re-open its contract. Phillips said he contacted Paragon Engineering and Consulting to evaluate whether the proposal merits reopening the contract and said he would bring findings back to his BOCC liaison and, if appropriate, to the Board of County Commissioners.

Property purchase under consideration: Phillips said Kootenai Electric approached the county about selling an 8.08-acre triangular parcel directly across from the landfill's main entrance on Highway 95. The seller's appraised value is roughly $32,550 per acre, or about $263,000 total. Phillips said the parcel once owned by the county served as a buffer and that repurchasing it could reduce future noise or headlight complaints from a nearby home if the land were developed. He said closure funds are in the department’s budget and that the solid waste fund balance could cover the purchase; he plans to pursue the matter further and bring it back to the board.

Tonnage and operations: Phillips reported that daily landfill receipts remain in the roughly 550–800 tons-per-day range and that overall garbage volumes are slightly below expectations for the time of year. He praised crews and environmental technicians for operations and for minimizing odors. Phillips also noted that 665 tons of tonnage in the reported period were hauled directly to the landfill by contractors handling large construction loads.

Next steps and board action: Phillips said he will follow up on Paragon's evaluation of the generator proposal, pursue the potential land purchase and return to the BOCC for direction. No formal procurement or purchase was approved during the update.

Ending: Commissioners expressed support for Phillips's judgment and asked staff to return with additional details on permitting, engineering and the potential property acquisition.