Deschutes County has narrowed its list of possible locations for a new landfill to six sites — most of which are located in the remote southeast corner of the county. Knott Landfill, the current dump just outside Bend’s southeast border, will be full by 2029. Officials hope to have a new landfill location selected by spring 2024.

Knott Landfill will become a transfer station so residents and garbage companies can still drop trash there, which can then be transported to the new landfill.

The county publicized 13 properties that fit the narrow criteria for a new landfill site in December, but within a matter of months, that number has shrunk to six. It will continue to shrink to three or four final sites that will be presented to the public in April, said Chad Centola, the director of the county’s solid waste department.

“We’ve had a number of property owners who have said ‘I have plans for my property, or no I’m not interested.’ But we do have a couple of property owners who are very interested in selling to us,” Centola said.

The remaining properties are all private except for one site owned by the Department of State Lands, Centola said.

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The county has received more than 500 written public comments about possible new landfill locations, Centola said. Most had to do with concerns for wildlife, including sage grouse, eagles, antelope and deer.

In January, the county ruled out several sites due to advice from the Federal Aviation Administration, which recommended no landfills within a 5-mile radius around airports. The administration’s recommendations state that landfills tend to attract increased populations of birds, which pose a threat to overhead aircraft that could possibly hit those birds.

The county agreed to accommodate that recommendation, Centola said.

Because of the administration’s recommendation, two county-owned properties and one Central Oregon Irrigation District-owned property were eliminated from consideration, Centola said.

Another site near Rickard Road just southeast of Bend was removed from consideration because of airport restrictions, but the county also heard a high volume of concern for its proximity to homes, Centola said.

In part because of the overwhelming number of public comments asking for more distance between the new landfill site and homes, Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang is broaching the process of convincing the Bureau of Land Management to transfer federal land to the county.

“We only need one site to work at the end of the day,” Chang said.

One of the reasons putting the new landfill on federal land is so attractive is that it will allow the county to meet the goal of keeping it three-quarters of a mile or more away from residences, Chang said.

However, land conveyance is often a long and arduous process, and it requires collaboration with federal representatives, Chang said. He has been in contact with Oregon’s two senators and with U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, in an attempt to earn their support, he said.

“I hope we can find some spots that BLM thinks are perfect and the members of the Senate and House think are perfect,” Chang said.

“Deschutes County invited us to be involved in the process last week. We have coordination meetings scheduled in the coming weeks, and we look forward to being engaged in the proposed project moving forward,” said Kaitlyn Webb, the public affairs officer for the BLM’s Prineville District.

The county’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee, which is currently overseeing the process of selecting a new landfill site, will meet on March 21. At the meeting, the solid waste department will present how and if each remaining site fits desired criteria.