Landfill mechanic and residents tell Benton County advisory panel of hazardous conditions, ask for EPA report and records

Members of the public and a landfill mechanic delivered extended testimony about safety, environmental and capacity concerns at the Coffin Butte Landfill and urged the Disposal Site Advisory Committee to obtain primary documents and press for regulatory action.

Robert Orton, a heavy equipment mechanic who said he is represented by International Operating Engineers Local 701, told the committee that "we work in disastrous conditions" and described what he called outdated personal protective equipment, missing decontamination areas and management that disregarded safety policies. Orton said his union had mailed USB drives with videos and photos to the county and that anonymous operators had supplied much of the material.

Orton also alleged the landfill is operating well above its rated daily capacity: "The landfill is rated and what we're capable of handling is 2,400 tons a day. We are currently receiving 5,000 to 6,000 tons of garbage a day." Committee members asked Orton to provide documentary evidence so the panel could evaluate the claim; Vice Chair Mark Yeager said the committee could document the remarks in the public record and consider next steps.

The chair pointed to recent reporting and technical imagery: Ken Eklund said a Statesman Journal article described an EPA probe and that the committee could obtain the underlying EPA report through a Freedom of Information Act request. He also presented CarbonMapper flyover imagery that visualizes methane plumes above parts of the landfill, noting the images showed plumes but did not quantify emission totals.

County staff responded that they would try to obtain the EPA report and other documents for DSAC. Community Development Director Darren Nichols said staff would work to produce requested complaint records and estimated the county's IT and records teams would review responsive documents for redaction and format. "We'll do our best to produce those in time for the meeting," Nichols said about the 2021 and 2022 complaint records.

Members discussed possible next steps: obtaining the EPA report via FOIA or through the reporter, collecting the union's evidence for DSAC review, and referring safety and environmental complaints to the Department of Environmental Quality for investigation if appropriate. The committee asked staff to include results of records requests and any agreed website language on the next meeting agenda.

Next steps: DSAC asked staff to seek the EPA report, to provide the committee with 2021 and 2022 complaint records if feasible, and to accept documentary evidence submitted by the union or employees for inclusion in the public record.