Northside Landfill

Cleanup construction is complete, and the remedy is in the operations, maintenance, and monitoring phase. The site was removed from the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in September 2020.

The effectiveness of the cleanup is verified every five years, and the fifth five-year review was completed in 2017. Issues and recommendations included:

• Ensuring the integrity of the landfill cap and maintaining it as necessary, as water was ponding on it
• Assessing and repairing potential damages to the outer buffer area and the landfill gas collection system piping from the 100-year storm that occurred in May 2016 

The 345-acre Northside Landfill is about 1 mile east of the Spokane River. The fenced property has a capped area and uncapped areas. The uncapped areas primarily include the buffer zone, open municipal solid waste cell, and an area where waste was burned. The site includes closed landfill cells, active landfill cells, and land next to the landfill where future landfill cells can be added.

Site investigations in the early 1980s revealed that leachate from the landfill’s old unlined refuse units had contaminated groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and trichloroethane. Cleaning solvents from dry cleaners and other small businesses are probably the major VOC sources. 

The City of Spokane owns the site and has operated the active municipal solid waste landfill since 1931. A 15-acre portion is in use as active landfill cells. As active cells fill and close, new cells on site will be constructed, permitted, and opened for use. The city plans to continue landfill operations until all remaining landfill areas are full. Active cells at the landfill continue to accept demolition waste and serve as an incinerator bypass disposal area for waste that cannot be sent to the waste-to-energy plant.

In March 1985, we signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assuming the lead responsibility for Northside Landfill cleanup, which EPA had designated a Superfund site. In 1996, the City of Spokane and Ecology agreed that the city would fund our oversight costs. EPA leads and we participate in the five-year reviews.