Local landfill 14 years in the making will serve 80,000 people in four counties

NEWDALE – Members of the Eastern Idaho Regional Solid Waste District gathered at 611 East Long Hollow Road in Newdale on Wednesday afternoon to break ground on a new 970-acre landfill.

The landfill is a partnership between Madison, Fremont, Teton and Clark counties and will serve about 80,000 people. The project is divided into four cells. The initial cell of 50 acres is expected to last 50 years.

Madison County Commissioner Todd Smith tells EastIdahoNews.com the district acquired this space in a land swap with the Idaho Department of Lands about two years ago.

The total cost of the project is $30 million. The Department of Environmental Quality provided an initial $3 million grant. The rest of it is being funded by a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s a 40-year loan with a 2.75% interest rate.

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It’s slated to go into operation this fall or next spring, depending on when the hole’s depth of 50 feet is complete.

“We’re excited. It’s kind of funny to get excited about garbage, but it is something we all produce. Madison County has about 55,000 people, and we produce about 32,000 tons a year. We’ve got to have someplace to put it,” Smith says.

Crews digging the Newdale landfill | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

The County Line Landfill in Jefferson County currently accepts waste from these four counties. The Eastern Idaho Regional Solid Waste District was created to establish a new site.

“Madison County pays about $1 million a year to dump garbage (in Jefferson County). This is going to cut our haul in half, and we’ll be paying ourselves,” says Smith.

The landfill in Newdale was 14 years in the making. Several sites were being considered, but Smith says there were several reasons the Newdale site was selected. One of them had to do with its proximity to other counties.

“The other thing we liked about it was the contour of the ground. It’s away from people. You don’t want a landfill in the middle of the neighborhood,” Smith says.

Another factor had to do with the depth of the water table. The test drill determined water was 950 feet down, which means the groundwater is protected from contamination.

Teton County Commissioner Cindy Riegal told the crowd her county was “the late comer to this game.” Teton officials had questions about the economic and environmental aspect of the project. The most important aspect to Teton County was the location.

“We’ll actually be reducing our use of fossil fuels by bringing our waste here,” Riegal said. “We’re pretty picky about who we partner with in Teton County. We did a lot of homework before we finally pulled the trigger, and we’re happy to be here.”

Rep. Jon Weber, R-Rexburg, is a former Madison County commissioner and solid waste district board member. He’s “amazed” to see how all the collaboration has come together to make the landfill a reality. He’s grateful to everyone who’s played a role in getting the project to this point.

“We could not be more proud standing here today and seeing the project move forward,” Clark County Commissioner McCoy Ward said. “Our county is grateful to be a part of the district and we see this project being a sustainable solution for all of our citizens now and in the future.”

Rett Nelson | EastIdahoNews.com

Rett Nelson | EastIdahoNews.com