THE DALLES — Several Wasco County residents took the opportunity prior to the commissioners’ discussion of annual landfill rate increases to publicly press commissioners over traffic-safety impacts they fear could follow a major cleanup decision in Portland that may route more trucks to the Wasco County Landfill.
The county board touched on landfill matters several times during its Oct. 15 meeting, from discussing revival efforts to the currently ‘disarrayed’ Solid Waste Advisory Committee, to unanimously approving this year’s landfill host fees and rate increases for curbside collection and landfill services.
During public comment, several residents shared their continued concern about the Portland Harbor Collaborative’s potential plans to send PCB-laden sediment from the superfund cleanup site on the Willamette River to the Wasco County Landfill.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the federal and decision-making entity in this multi-agency collaborative, is deciding between three disposal sites for an anticipated 5 million tons of dredged material:
- Wasco County Landfill near The Dalles,
- Columbia Ridge Landfill and Chemical Waste Management in Arlington, and
- Roosevelt Regional Landfill across the Columbia River in Washington.
The EPA estimates the dredging will bring 130 trucks to the chosen landfill for four months of the year over 13 years.
Columbia Gorge News reached out to the EPA for an update on their decision-making process and was not able to connect with staff directly working on this project due to the government shutdown.
Residents speak about potential traffic from superfund cleanup
Coming directly from a Traffic Safety Advisory Committee meeting earlier that morning, committee member Russ Brown shared his thoughts with the county board on the potential truck-traffic increases.
“It’s going to be ugly,” he said, acknowledging the county’s limited role in controlling the EPA’s decision. “This is just like protesting at an ICE facility. It's not going to change anything, but we need to go through the motions anyway. I just wanted to express my concerns.”
Commissioner Phil Brady replied by describing his experience testifying at a Portland Harbor Collaborative meeting in September. At this meeting, Brady asked the EPA to choose one of the other proposed landfills due to traffic safety concerns near the Wasco County Landfill.
“I wholly approve of cleaning up the Portland Harbor” he said, stressing that project’s leaders “are open for testimony, and coming from a public body would be influential — so it’s not just like protesting with signs, they are open to hearing from us.”
Other residents focused their comments on Five Mile Road, the narrow, winding route used by hundreds of landfill-bound trucks per day.
Linda Wilson, who lives on Five Mile and worked in PUD administration for 36 years, thanked Commissioner Brady for asking the EPA not to deliver the superfund sediment to Wasco County.
“My concern is about the safety of Five Mile Road,” she said, noting “there’s two very blind corners, and trucks take a lane and a half.” She added, “I got run over by one of them” and warned that “somebody is going to get hurt.”
Wilson said she hopes that if the EPA chooses to use the Wasco County Landfill that the county’s per-ton host fees will go toward straightening the road’s blind corners and improving traffic safety.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Scott Williams, speaking as a resident of Five Mile, emphasized the neighborhood’s concerns about increased truck traffic by highlighting the existing burden on the road. On his morning commute that day he counted seven trucks between the corner of Five Mile and Steel and the hilltop: five coming down and two going up.
“I don’t think it can handle any more than that, and it is dangerous,” he said.
Commissioner Brady also clarified that while “PCBs [are] considered toxic waste,” the Wasco County Landfill “is not certified for toxic waste,” explaining that the 7% of high-toxicity material would most likely go to Arlington.
Trash fees go up, county host fees go up
Commissioners approved rate increases for collection by The Dalles Disposal and for the Wasco County Landfill gate rates, tied to this year’s inflation adjustment.
Both The Dalles Disposal and Wasco County Landfill are owned by Texas-based megacorporation Waste Connections, serving 9 million customers in 46 states in the US and 6 provinces in Canada. In July the company announced it expects a $1.14 billion profit from its anticipated $9.45 billion revenue in 2025.
At the meeting, Wasco County Landfill manager Nancy Mitchell said the license agreement pegs annual adjustments to 85% of the Consumer Price Index.
The Dalles Disposal District Manager Jim Winterbottom asked to mirror that figure: “I don’t have a license agreement that gives me a guaranteed 85% of CPI, but I do follow the same guidelines,” he said, explaining typical bill impacts:
- For a rural 32-gallon can: “the increase would be 68 cents per month, or 16 cents per pickup.”
- For a 1½ yard dumpster serviced weekly: “the increase would be $3.32 per month, or 77 cents per pickup.”
The agreement also increased Wasco County Landfill’s payment amounts to the county, with the county licensing fee increasing in 2026 from $142,348 to $146,025.
The landfill pays Wasco County a host fee for every ton of garbage received. These rates increased from $1.95 to $2.00 per ton of regular solid waste and from 10.25 to $10.50 per ton of household hazardous waste.
Wasco County’s 2025-26 budget anticipates $2 million in revenue from the Wasco County Landfill, the county’s fourth-highest revenue source behind property taxes, state funds and enterprise districts. This money goes into the county’s general fund.
Reinstating the Solid Waste Advisory Committee
Commission Chair Scott Hege said the county wants to re-energize its public oversight body on trash policy.
“We typically have a Solid Waste Advisory Committee… that entity or that group is kind of in disarray or something, we are working on it,” he said.
The county’s description on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee’s volunteer application says the body meets twice a year to:
- “recommend changes or additions to regulations regarding solid waste;
- “develop a long range plan to provide adequate disposal sites and facilities to meet future demands;
- “develop minimum standards for the location and operation of disposal sites; and
- “perform such other acts or duties as directed by the Board of County Commissioners including but not limited to rate increase proposal recommendations.”
Chair Hege said that former Commission Chair Steve Kramer has agreed to participate, helping legal counsel finish putting together a new solid waste ordinance.
“Hopefully that group will come back,” Chair Hege said to Mitchell and Winterbottom, saying that these representatives of Waste Connections will meet with a county committee in the future and present collaborative proposals to the county board.
To learn more about getting involved with the Wasco County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, visit the county website at www.co.wasco.or.us/departments/administrative_services/volunteer_opportunities.php.
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