Caton Limited Purpose Landfill

The Caton Landfill was first permitted in 1997 as a construction and demolition debris landfill. This facility was originally permitted under Chapter 173-304 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) by the Yakima Health District (YHD).

In 2008, following promulgation of Chapter 173-350 WAC, the facility obtained a permit from YHD for the operation of a Limited Purpose Landfill (LPL). The landfill is unlined.

In June 2023, YHD denied the renewal of the Caton Landfill’s operating permit and ordered the facility to cease operations by June 30, 2025. The facility continued to accept waste. The Caton Landfill appealed YHD’s decision to deny permit renewal. A hearing was held in August 2023 and the Hearing Officer ruled in favor of the YHDs decision to deny permit renewal. The Caton Landfill continued to accept waste and appealed the decision to the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB). On April 10, 2025, the PCHB ruled in favor of the YHDs decision to deny permit renewal. The Caton Landfill ceased accepting waste on April 14, 2025. The landfill operated for 653 days without a permit.

The Caton Landfill has a history of fires. In November 2022, a fire broke out within the waste. It was first reported based on visible smoke emissions. Later open flames broke through the surface on the east flank of the landfill.

The Caton Landfill placed soil on waste over the fire in an attempt to smother the fire. In March 2023, the Caton Landfill determined that the fire was extinguished. However, visual observations by Ecology staff as recently as December 2024 suggest that the fire may still be smoldering.

Ecology staff observed a number of disposal practices that may have resulted in the release of hazardous materials to the environment at the Caton Landfill, including disposal of vehicles, campers, boats, and tires. In addition, Ecology believes that waste was disposed on parcels that were never permitted for waste handling or disposal.

Ecology suspects contamination due to potential disposal of hazardous materials, disposal of waste outside permitted areas, disposal of waste without a permit, and as a smoldering subsurface fire.

What's In My Neighborhood shows contamination cleanup sites in Washington state. Ecology encourages cleanup of these sites to protect the health of people, plants, and animals. Cleanups are projects that remove, treat, or contain potentially harmful substances.

To report an environmental problem or concern, any time, day or night, use the online reporting form.

Central Region

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To request language services (interpreting/translation), contact Ecology by phone at 509-379-3961 or email luke.lemond@ecy.wa.gov or visit https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Accessibility-equity/Language-services. For Relay Service or TTY call 711 or 877-833-6341.