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Board accepts revised 2023 Coffin Butte annual report after review of emissions monitoring, capacity and gas capture plans
Summary
After questions about monitoring data, maps and lifespan, the Benton County Board of Commissioners voted to accept Republic Services' revised 2023 Coffin Butte Landfill and Pacific Region Compost annual reports. Presenters added EPA surface-emissions information and a Benton County odor-report grid; staff agreed to provide updated maps and follow-up technical briefings.
BENTON COUNTY, Ore. — The Benton County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 15 accepted a revised 2023 annual report for Coffin Butte Landfill and the Pacific Region Compost facility after a lengthy discussion about monitoring, capacity and plans for capturing landfill gas.
Republic Services representatives told the board they added information about EPA surface-emissions monitoring and included a county-provided grid of odor reports and mitigation steps. “We did add that information as we knew it into the report,” a Republic presenter said, noting there were no further updates after the packet was submitted.
Commissioners pressed for clarity on facility life and maps showing subcell staging. County and Republic staff said the landfill is currently operating in Cell 5E and construction of Cell 6A is largely complete; Knife River is finishing excavation on part of the quarry and subcells will be built in phases. Ian, a Republic representative, said the quarry sequencing is intended to give the site continuous capacity and that the quarry expansion adds about 12.9–13 years to Coffin Butte’s overall life, depending on tonnage.
The board and Republic discussed regulatory oversight: Republic said DEQ reviews and approves cell plans, inspects during construction and reviews third-party construction reports. On gas-to-energy plans, Brett, a Republic representative, said the company is negotiating with PNGC Power about buying landfill gas but that PNGC “kind of have the first right of refusal.” If PNGC declines, Republic said it would pursue other uses, including installing its own generation or selling the gas.
The Disposal Site Advisory Committee (DSAC) submitted a letter with concerns including high arsenic levels in groundwater, arsenic-monitoring protocols, methane releases, methane flares and the inclusion of 2024 data in the 2023 report. Commissioner Nancy Wise read the letter’s points into the record and recommended a clearer process for what DSAC, the public and the board expect to see in future reports.
Republic officials said the compost facility is not at capacity but that moving finished material is a challenge; they plan to hire a salesperson and are offering byproducts (such as woody material) to jurisdictions and cities at low or no cost to increase uptake and free storage space.
A motion to accept the updated 2023 Coffin Butte and Pacific Region Compost Annual Report was moved and seconded and the board voted to approve the report. County staff and Republic representatives agreed to provide updated maps showing subcell delineation and to pursue a geologist presentation to DSAC to explain monitoring trends.
The board’s acceptance closes this year’s annual-report review but leaves open requests for more detailed monitoring briefings and map updates as part of ongoing oversight.
