After months of searching, Deschutes County Department of Solid Waste has its two final landfill locations.
“These two scored well in particular. There wasn’t anything of deep concern. There weren’t fault lines. There wasn’t groundwater very close to the surface. A minimum number of residences,” Deschutes County Solid Waste Director Tim Brownell said.
The Moon Pit and Roth East sites are nearly 25 and 30 miles south east of Bend, respectively.
The Moon Pit site borders the south eastern edge of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, a popular recreation area. Roth East is south of Highway 20 near Millican.
Brownell says it is still too early to tell which site is preferred.
“We’re moving into what’s called phase two. It’s really a deep dive into the sites to see if they are what we think they are, and to make sure there aren’t any significant flaws in either one of them,” Brownell said.
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Brownell said the county is focused on identifying any cultural, archaeological and environmental concerns and welcomes any comments from the public.
“We want people to know this is a transparent process and we want to hear from anybody, whatever their concerns are, hopes are,” Brownell said.
The Solid Waste Department hopes it will have a final selection by early spring next year.
There is an open house on Monday, September 11. It is open to the public at the Deschutes Services Building from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Knott Landfill in Bend is expected to reach capacity in 2029.
