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County narrows landfill options; Horse Ridge site re-enters evaluation
Summary
Deschutes County staff said they cut an initial list of more than 200 potential landfill sites to a handful and now plan a five-month deep evaluation of the Horse Ridge site after earlier exclusions. The county now expects existing landfill capacity in November 2031, a later date than previously estimated.
Tim Brownell briefed the joint meeting on the county's multi-year landfill-siting process: "We started with 200 sites, a little over 200 potential sites, and over the course of about, 14 months came down to 2 sites..." He said the Moon Pit site could not be acquired, leaving the Roth East and Horse Ridge sites under consideration; Horse Ridge returned to the shortlist after updated wildlife mapping allowed potential mitigation for a golden-eagle nesting area.
Brownell said staff and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee will conduct a deeper, final-site evaluation that he expects to take about five months; if that evaluation is successful, staff will bring a recommended site back to the board with procurement and purchase plans. He also noted the county's annual capacity review has pushed the expected landfill closure from 2029 to November 2031, which provides a slightly longer timeline to finalize siting and procurement.
Commissioners discussed environmental trade-offs and the need to ensure franchise agreements channel waste to a future county facility (flow control). County staff said transfer-station trucks would continue to consolidate residential drop-off material for transport to a new site and that the new facility would not be a public retail or drop-off location.
