Flathead County is looking to expand its landfill operations in the future, which is expected to allow it to accept waste for another eight decades beyond its current capacity.  

The landfill is looking to add 121 acres south of facility located off of U.S. 93 north of Kalispell. Of that acreage 74 acres are planned for refuse disposal.  

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing the county’s application for a license to expand. The state agency is taking comments on a draft environmental assessment of the plan through June 15.  

Flathead County Public Works Director Dave Prunty said the current landfill disposal area is expected to serve the county for another 40 years, but the county is looking to obtain its license now to allow for expansion when the time comes.  

“Because the community is growing, we need to secure disposal space for as long as possible,” Prunty said. “It’s critical for the landfill to secure that disposal space now.”  

The landfill was built in 1971. The expansion is designed to serve the county after the current portion of the active landfill reaches capacity. 

The same disposal area on the north end of the landfill has been used since it was opened and is expected to be full in roughly the next five years. Then disposal would move to a more southern area, which should last the county for another roughly two to three decades, according to Prunty, before it would move into the proposed expansion area.   

The expansion would increase the refuse disposal area to 225 acres.  

Operations now dispose of 460 tons of waste per day. The expansion would allow for the proper disposal of about 33.7 million tons of waste, according to the Department of Environmental Quality assessment. 

About 92,000 tons of waste was disposed of at the landfill in 2022 and last year the landfill saw 163,000 tons.  

Prunty said disposal rates ebb and flow with the economy, but about 2% growth every year is expected.  

“The amount we take in is compounded every year,” he said. “This is about controlling our own destiny at the landfill. We want to make sure that we have the capacity so that we don’t have to pay to take it somewhere else.”  

The Department of Environmental Quality’s assessment found that the expansion meets the requirements of the state Solid Waste Management Act and rules regulating solid waste disposal. And adherence to a facility plan approved by the state agency would mitigate the potential for harmful impacts to human health and the environment.  

Public comment closes June 15, and comments can be submitted electronically via email to deqswprogram@mt.gov or by mail at DEQ Solid Waste Program, PO Box 200901, Helena, MT, 59620. 

To view the draft assessment, visit deq.mt.gov/public/solidwaste-public.

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.