Regional landfill expected to move forward to site search phase

Burying waste at the Asotin County Landfill.

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Story Published: Sep 16, 2009 at 9:54 PM PDT

Story Updated: Sep 16, 2009 at 9:54 PM PDT

By Matt Loveless

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LEWISTON - Nez Perce County is ready to sign an agreement that may lower garbage rates for county taxpayers.

The Solid Waste Advisory Board, made up of members of four county commissions, will meet Friday to begin looking for a place to put a regional landfill.

The Nez Perce County Commission agreed last week to sign on with the group, and now SWAB will join what Nez Perce County Commission Chair Doug Zenner said is a private-public partnership with Idaho Waste Systems LLC.

"This disposal agreement and the SWAB gives IWS, LLC the opportunity to go do their digging and testing and find sites that would be compatible," said Zenner.

Nez Perce County currently uses the Asotin County landfill. While it couldn't be much closer, Zenner said there are better financial options for the county.

"The disposal, according to their (IWS) agreement, is $27.50 a ton, and that's less than what it is across the river, so our residents in the four-county area will be saving money," said Zenner.

The same goes for Idaho, Lewis, and Clearwater County, which are currently hauling their trash up to Missoula and down to Payette.

Once all four entities sign on, the next step will be to find a place to put the landfill, somewhere centrally located, but Zenner said they don't expect construction soon. Engineering and topography planning could take up to two years.

"Our hope was that we wouldn't be having too much river corridor travel in either direction, because that is a big environmental liability, and you know as well as I do, anything to decrease your insurance liability wasted on the county is a plus for everybody," said Zenner.

The four county commission chairs will be in Lewiston Friday, and are expected to sign the agreement to go ahead with a site search.

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