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Drone survey shows active landfill cell will fill in about a year; board hears 6–9 month construction estimate for next cell
Summary
A drone photogrammetry presentation showed the active working area’s elevation rose 16 feet between March and December 2025, leaving roughly 26 feet of airspace and an estimated 12–14 months of capacity. Staff said the new-cell design is under review and an RFP could be issued by late January or early February.
During the landfill board meeting, GIS analyst Tim Connor told board members that drone photogrammetry shows the active working area (Cell 4A) has gained about 16 feet of elevation since March 2025, shrinking average remaining airspace from roughly 42 feet to about 26 feet.
"So knowing that the average remaining air space that we have left is 26 feet, that would come out at 14 months left of this cell at the rate at which we've used it," Connor said, adding he prefers to give a conservative operational estimate of about 12 months.
Connor described the survey process: teams fly the site every couple of months, collect 800–1,000 photos per flight, use ground control points for accuracy and generate 3D elevation models to measure volumetric change between flights.
Manager Mark Flores told the board the environmental engineer SMA has estimated about six to nine months to complete construction of the next cell, and staff plan to publish an RFP in late January or early February. "We plan to get that RFP published, now at the end of January, early February, and hopefully get a contractor on board, ideally, by March," Flores said. He added design revisions requested by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) are being addressed and the design should be resubmitted to NMED for review.
Connor said the town’s drone work fills gaps between the comprehensive topo surveys SMA performs annually and can provide more frequent volumetric monitoring. SMA’s full survey will cover the entire landfill and support a more accurate projection of the time remaining based on annual tonnage data.
Board members and staff agreed to continue using the drone monitoring and to press forward with the RFP and permitting steps so construction can begin as soon as weather and approvals allow.
Next steps: staff will resubmit the SMA design revisions to the NMED, publish the RFP when ready, and return to the board with updates on the procurement and construction schedule.
