Larimer County expects July opening for modern north landfill and transfer station

Larimer County officials said on May 4 that the county’s new north landfill and an adjacent diversion and transfer station are nearly finished and could open in early July if state reviews are completed.

Dwayne Penny, Larimer County’s solid waste director, told the Board of County Commissioners the landfill construction is “almost 100% completed on the landfill side and about 85% on the transfer station side,” and that staff are waiting for state sign‑off on the Construction Quality Assurance report before accepting waste. Penny said the property totals 630 acres, of which 317 acres are currently permitted for landfill operations, and that the first operational cell covers about 20 acres.

The design uses a composite liner system—a prepared subgrade, a geosynthetic clay liner, a 60‑mil HDPE geomembrane and a geo‑composite drainage layer—followed by protective soil cover, features Penny said are intended to limit leachate and protect groundwater. He described the liner sequence and leachate collection system and said the county will sample leachate per state requirements before reusing it for dust control.

County staff provided capital figures for the projects. Penny reported roughly $40 million spent to date on the landfill program and described transfer‑station site development and equipment costs (Penny enumerated site and equipment numbers and said the transfer project budget figures total approximately $27,500,000). The county moved about 850,000 cubic yards of earth to form the first cell and reported an $8.6 million cell construction line item; Penny also listed $1.5 million for fencing and support vehicles.

Officials said permitted users will include commercial haulers, construction and demolition haulers, municipal partners and residents within an approximate 10‑mile radius (Penny explicitly included the town of Wellington among nearby communities). To reduce local traffic impacts, Penny said county policy requires haulers to use a designated route (I‑25 to County Road 9 via Al Canyon north to the landfill) rather than driving through Wellington, and that hauler licensing will help enforce the route. Penny added that trailers will be tarped before leaving the transfer station to prevent litter on roadways.

Commissioners asked about equipment, fuel choice and wind. Penny showed photos of ten new semi‑tractor trailers and a loader and said the trucks are diesel; he told the board that electric units were cost‑prohibitive and compressed natural gas was not yet feasible. He also described contingency plans for high‑wind days—when landfill tipping may pause—and said the transfer station and a hauling agreement with a private landfill (an alternate landfill in Erie) will provide operational flexibility.

The board also discussed the county’s existing landfill: staff estimated roughly eight months of remaining capacity at the current site and outlined work to add roughly 119 methane collection wells and laterals before final capping. Penny estimated capping could be about three and a half years away, depending on project sequencing and methane‑collection work. He also said the capped facility could host solar panels in the future, with potential capacity estimates of about 13 megawatts on the south face or up to roughly 23 megawatts if the entire capped area were used.

Staff said final opening dates will be confirmed after state permitting and CQA approval. The board asked staff to continue community outreach and to post clear user information on the county website and in local media so residents and haulers know where to go when the facilities open.

The meeting adjourned after the update.