Deschutes County continues to weigh two locations that could become it’s new landfill for the next 100 years. Whichever is chosen, process is expected to be costly, and it won’t be without sacrifices.

Deschutes County’s current dump, Knott Landfill, is projected to reach its capacity in 2029. It’s been in operation since 1972. The site of a new landfill, which will cost more than $1 billion in total, is scheduled to be selected in early April, but first, the county’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee must craft a final dump recommendation for the county commission to consider in May and June.

The two final locations were whittled down from more than 200 properties, which became a list of 13 made public in December 2022. They’re both located near U.S. Highway 20 in the eastern part of the county. The Moon Pit site is a 346-acre zig-zag property near the edge of the Badlands Wilderness. It’s a former Hooker Creek mining site that will cost more upfront, according to preliminary estimates.

The Roth East site is 387 acres of undisturbed grazing land between the ghost town of Millican and Pine Mountain Observatory. The site is slightly farther away from Deschutes County’s cities than the Moon Pit site, which means hauling costs, and greenhouse gas emissions, will inevitably add up.

“The Moon Pit site is appealing due to its existing infrastructure, lower haul costs, and lower degree of impacts to residences and wildlife,” says a final site evaluation report from consultant firm Parametrix. “The Roth East site is appealing with its efficient layout, favorable excavation conditions, and potential for a longer lifespan.”

Developing the Moon Pit site, which is near a trailhead to Oregon Badlands Wilderness will impact wilderness values and recreation in the Badlands and Horse Ridge Recreation Area, the Oregon Natural Desert Association said in a March 13 written public comment.

“While the range and intensity of impacts to wildlife, wilderness and recreation would differ between the two locations, development at Moon Pit may be less harmful to these values and resources than at Roth East,” the association said.

If the county choose Moon Pit, the association requested the county create features and infrastructure that will “reduce visual, audial and olfactory impacts of the landfill” on the wilderness and its visitors.

The association emphasized the need for preservation of greater sage grouse, a threatened bird species native to Oregon’s High Desert, and habitat enhancement and restoration efforts regardless of which site is picked. Both sites will have some sort of environmental impact.

Bend City Councilor Mike Riley is a member of the advisory committee because of his role as executive director of the Environmental Center, a Bend nonprofit. He also leans in favor of the Moon Pit site because of its pre-disturbed nature and despite its proximity to human activity.

“We have to learn to live with these problems, and I don’t think we should hide them and have them be out of sight out of mind,” he said. “Anywhere we go, there will be trade-offs.”

To Riley, a visible landfill is a constant reminder of the consequences of the trash humans produce. There’s no choice without an impact, he said.

“For me, one of the biggest trade-offs is a site that’s disturbed versus a site that’s undisturbed,” Riley said.

If the county were to select Roth East, an undisturbed site, over Moon Pit, which was already used for mining operations, that would mean more greenhouse gas emissions to cover the longer distance, a combination of land use risks, threatening proximity to greater sage-grouse and a loss of largely untouched open space.

The Solid Waste Advisory Committee is scheduled to discuss a final site recommendation at its April 16 meeting.