Scene from a joint meeting of Los Alamos County Council, City of Espanola Council, and Rio Arriba County Commission Wednesday afternoon at Northern New Mexico College in Espanola. Courtesy photo

Los Alamos County officials at Wednesday’s meeting are, from left, Deputy County Manager Juan Rael, County Manager Anne Laurent, Councilor Melanee Hand, Councilor Theresa Cull, Council Vice Chair Ryn Herrmann, Council Chair Randall Ryti, and Councilor Beverly Neal-Clinton. Councilor David Reagor did not attend. Courtesy photo

Los Alamos County intergovernmental affairs manager Danielle Duran addresses the joint meeting Wednesday. Courtesy photo

Tyler Zack, representative of Huitt-Zollars and Parkhill, on call engineers for Los Alamos County, presents the feasibility study for the proposed Northern New Mexico Regional Landfill planned in Rio Arriba County. Courtesy photo

Eric Martinez, Los Alamos County Public Works Director Eric Martinez speaks at Wednesday’s meeting. Courtesy photo

Rio Arriba County Attorney Adan Trujillo speaks at Wednesday’s meeting on the proposed regional landfill project. Courtesy photo

Espanola City Councilor Stephen S. Salazar at Wednesday’s meeting. Courtesy photo

Espanola City Manager Michael Ortiz. Courtesy photo

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Three Northern New Mexico government entities on Wednesday approved a draft Memorandum of Agreement for a Northern New Mexico Regional Landfill to be located in Rio Arriba County. The three parties met at Northern New Mexico College in Espanola Discussions have been underway since 2022.

In 2022, the City of Espanola approached Los Alamos County and Rio Arriba County regarding a possible regional landfill and in 2023 and all three parties agreed to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA 25-924) to pursue a feasibility study on this topic. 

From 2023 through 2025, a landfill feasibility study was conducted by Huitt-Zollars and Parkhill as part of their on-call contract services for Los Alamos County.  The study used information and data provided by all three parties to the MOA. The study, which was completed and presented to Los Alamos County staff in June 2026, indicated that a landfill at the property identified by the City of Espanola is feasible. 

To view the feasibility study that was in the agenda package for the meeting: https://losalamos.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15816616&GUID=38BE7E56-8D65-4561-BF21-4D4C0E3D73B2 A version with some minor changes was circulated at the meeting.

https://losalamos.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15816615&GUID=4E8874CC-F17D-49D2-B64E-247CA0CBDDE0

The draft memorandum of agreement from the agenda packet: https://losalamos.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15816620&GUID=6377371E-79B6-4823-8193-F0F029C5B0FB