Landfill serving 80,000 people in 4 counties officially opens
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NEWDALE – A 970-acre landfill serving 80,000 people in four counties went into operation in November, but officials gathered Tuesday morning for a ribbon-cutting and celebration.
The landfill at 611 East Long Hollow Road in Newdale is a partnership between Madison, Fremont, Teton and Clark counties. The project is divided into four cells. The initial cell of 50 acres is expected to last 50 years. The other cells will be dug as needed and eventually merge into a pyramid shape.
The East Idaho Regional Solid Waste District is the landfill’s governing board. A commissioner from each of the four counties serves on the board. Madison County Commissioner Todd Smith is the board chairman. He tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s been in the works for the last 16 years and he’s happy to finally see it completed.
“It’s a good project and was built right,” Smith says. “It’ll serve the residents of these four counties for many years.”
The total cost of the project was $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. Representatives from both agencies spoke at the ribbon-cutting.
“This project and the solid waste district are both examples of how Idahoans at multiple levels are able to come together to address complex challenges and make decisions that affect the longterm interests of the state and its citizens,” Idaho DEQ Director Jess Byrne told the crowd. “It’s a pleasure to be here today and I congratulate the district on the accomplishment.”
The ribbon-cutting comes two years after construction got underway. EastIdahoNews.com attended the groundbreaking ceremony in 2024.
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The initial conversation for this project started in 2010. At that time, the County Line Landfill in Jefferson County accepted waste from these four counties. Smith says it was costing Madison County about $1 million a year to haul and dump garbage to this site.
The expensive cost of hauling waste, as well as growth in the area, created a need for a new landfill.
Smith says the DEQ discourages individual counties from having their own landfill, and prefers having a waste district manage a landfill that serves multiple counties. That was the first hurdle in getting this project started.
Once the solid waste district was in place, the next challenge was finding a location. Although numerous landfill sites were considered, Smith says the Newdale site was selected because of the contour of the ground and its remote location.
“Nobody wants a landfill in their backyard,” says Smith.
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.
The landfill has lining underneath it to prevent water seepage. Water drains into two large ponds on the north side of the landfill, where it gradually evaporates.
Although landfills aren’t popular, state representative Jon Weber, who serves as the waste district’s executive director, told Tuesday’s crowd it’s an investment that will benefit future generations.
“People like sexy things, and this isn’t sexy — and it’s expensive. But investment in community is expensive,” Weber said. “Longterm, our children and grandchildren will benefit from what we built today.”
And though some might complain about the money spent on the project, Clark County Commissioner and waste district board member MaCoy Ward notes that people would also complain if there was no place to haul garbage.
Smith began Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting with a tribute to Darby Pozenel. As the solid waste district’s director and treasurer, Smith says she was involved in the project from the beginning and was an integral part of making the Newdale site a reality.
Pozenel passed away last year from breast cancer, and the road leading to the landfill is named in her honor. A photo of her was displayed at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting and Weber said her picture will permanently hang in the waste district building on-site.
“If it wouldn’t have been for her, we wouldn’t have gotten (the landfill) right,” Smith explains. “Somebody asked me the other day, ‘How’d you get that project done? It’s been so many years.’ My response was, ‘Because we had Darby.'”
Cameron Arial with Clearwater Financial, which served as a municipal advisor in securing funding for the landfill, offered a tear-filled tribute to Pozenel during his remarks on Tuesday. He described her as “a dear friend who loved this area, loved these people and loved this project.”
“It was an honor to serve with her,” Arial said, crying.
