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Environmental groups tell Albany council concerns about Coffin Butte expansion: methane leaks, monitoring gaps and leachate risks
Summary
Beyond Toxics and Valley Neighbors presented data claiming repeated methane leaks at Coffin Butte, substantial monitoring exemptions (76% average in 2024, 92% in Q4), 40 million gallons of leachate/year and disputed economic benefit claims; speakers urged the council to consider regional alternatives and requested access to monitoring and well reports.
Environmental advocates told the Albany City Council the proposed Coffin Butte landfill expansion raises air‑quality and water‑quality concerns that will affect nearby communities and regional waste planning.
Mason Levitt of Beyond Toxics and Mark Yeager of Valley Neighbors for Environmental Quality and Safety framed the expansion as a Benton County land‑use decision but said Albany should consider the local public‑health and environmental consequences. Levitt cited CarbonMapper imagery and said the group documented methane plumes at Coffin Butte on 12 flights over two years. "100% of the time, they have found one or more massive leaks of methane happening at the facility," Levitt said.
Levitt and Yeager said private landfill operators have extensive unilateral exemptions from surface‑emissions monitoring. Levitt said Coffin Butte exempted an average of 76% of its surface area from monitoring in 2024 and peaked at 92% in quarter four; he described the practice as a "no data, no problem" approach that can hide leaks from regulatory programs.
Yeager described leachate volumes and legacy site features. He said some unlined cells generate approximately 2,000,000 gallons of leachate per year and that the facility produces roughly 40,000,000 gallons of leachate annually; historically the site sent about 20,000,000 gallons to Salem and 20,000,000 gallons to Corvallis for treatment. He warned that accepting leachate at treatment plants can introduce PFAS and other contaminants into wastewater systems and composting programs.
The presenters disputed public messaging from the landfill operator: Yeager said the revenue reported to the public ($6,000,000/year) is overstated and that county receipts attributable to the landfill total about $2,800,000 a year and are deposited into the county general fund, not earmarked for schools or roads. He also said the expansion would not create new onsite jobs beyond about 20 reported in company filings; drivers working throughout the valley are often included in higher regional job counts.
Councilors asked for the underlying monitoring and groundwater reports; Levitt and Yeager offered to provide the Disposal Site Advisory Council and EPA/DEQ documents and noted the EPA has issued a Section 114 information request and conducted randomized inspections. The presenters recommended alternatives, including investment in material‑recovery facilities (MRFs) and intermodal transport to out‑of‑valley facilities.
No land‑use action was required of Albany at this meeting; presenters framed the issue for council awareness and said they would share documentation with the city recorder and county advisory bodies.
