Background & Project Summary

Solid waste was accepted for disposal at Teton County's Horsethief Canyon Landfill from the mid-1950’s through 1989. In 1989, due to lack of landfill capacity, the landfill was closed through the application of a soil cap and surface water control channels which was the accepted practice at the time; and a solid waste transfer station and scale house were constructed on the property to manage the County’s solid waste. Starting in 1989, the County’s solid waste was transferred to the Sublette County-Marbleton Landfill for disposal until July 2012, when Teton County began sending waste to a lined landfill in Bonneville County, Idaho.

Over time, it became evident that surface water had infiltrated the buried waste due to the outdated cap and limited storm water controls at the Horsethief Canyon Landfill. This storm water infiltration increased leachate production at the landfill. Leachate is any liquid that, in the course of passing through matter, extracts soluble or suspended solids. When water passes through solid waste, the resulting leachate can contain undesirable, toxic materials that can lead to groundwater contamination.

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