BEND, OR -- The list of potential sites for Deschutes County’s new landfill is getting smaller. County Commissioners have asked the Solid Waste Advisory Committee to review an FAA recommendation that new landfills not be sited within five miles of a public airport. "It’s actually been in place for a while, but when we spoke to the Redmond Airport, they were pretty adamant with us that we should use that five-mile radius as part of our siting criteria," Solid Waste Director Chad Centola says in a recent county video.

Landfills attract birds, which can be dangerous for nearby aviation operations, "The FAA advisory is actually any kind of wildlife movement. So, they regulate a lot of other things aside from landfills," says Centola, "But, in our case, it’s definitely birds at the site, as well as those that migrate to and from the landfill. We’re going to convene the Solid Waste Advisory Committee to discuss this item specifically."

Deschutes County's Solid Waste Advisory Committee will hold a special meeting February 7th, "The objective here is to honor that five-mile recommendation from the FAA and drop three sites off the candidate list. We have one site up in Redmond, near the Negus Transfer Station, and two east of Bend, off of Bear Creek and Rickard Road," says Centola.

Previous Coverage: Solid Waste Committee Hears From 100+ On Possible Landfill Locations

Nine other locations remain on the list, "We knew at the get-go, no matter where we went, we’d be challenged. There’s impacts to residents, there’s impacts to wildlife - sage grouse was a huge issue that we were fully aware of going into this, especially east of Bend. We’re going to go through this process; these sites are not set in concrete, by any means." Centola has said he hopes to have a final site recommendation to County Commissioners by the spring of 2024.

The Knott Landfill is expected to reach capacity in ‘29. To learn more about the project, visit Deschutes County's Solid Waste website.