ES Projects

Cottonwood Landfill

  • Objectives
    To ensure the safety of the public and the environment by monitoring, managing and controlling landfill gas and site safety.
  • Location
    3200 S. Cottonwood Ln
  • Waste Acreage
    10
  • Operation Dates
    1973-1985
  • Status
    Monitored Only Site
  • Type
    Groundwater Protection Project
  • Annual Budget
    approximately $20,000
  • Contact
    City of Tucson - Environmental Services 520-791-3175
  • Description
    The Cottonwood Landfill is generally located 0.5 mile north of Ajo way and 0.5 mile west of Interstate 19. This landfill was used for the disposal of municipal solid waste. Quarterly the City monitors sixteen shallow landfill gas probes at the property boundary and annually inspects the landfill.
  • Additional Info
    Nitrate has been detected in the groundwater at concentrations above the regulatory standard. The nitrate is likely the result of historic and present land practices of nearby properties (i.e. crop land, horse stables, and septic systems) and because it is not a landfill contaminant, the City is not investigating it. If you have a private groundwater production well and live near this area, you should have your well tested for nitrates. The drinking water supplied by Tucson Water for this area meets all drinking water regulations, including nitrate.
  • Activities
    Inspections, Landfill Gas Monitoring
  • Last Update
    Wednesday Jun 8, 2022
View this project on the Environmental Management Projects Map
Project photo for Cottonwood Landfill

Project Details

Status Updates

  • October-December
    The City conducts an annual closed landfill inspection during this period. A report documenting site conditions will be prepared following the inspection. The latest report is available in the Attachments/Reports section of this website.
  • January, April, July, & October
    The City conducts quarterly landfill gas monitoring at perimeter probes during these months every year to monitor for methane migration at the property boundary.
  • June 21, 2010
    The City completed the Groundwater and Soil Vapor Monitoring report for 2009. As discussed in this report, monitoring of three groundwater monitoring wells and one deep nested soil vapor monitoring well was discontinued since soil vapor and groundwater quality data collected from 2001 -2009 indicated that there were no impacts to groundwater due to the landfill. The City will reevaluate the landfill conditions annually and resume monitoring if necessary. This report is available in the report/attachment section of this website.
  • 2002
    The City installed three groundwater monitor wells and one deep soil vapor monitoring well and began routine monitoring.
  • 1995-1998
    The City installed shallow landfill gas monitor probes to monitor methane concentrations between the landfill and nearby homes and began routine monitoring.

Pictures

Gate entrance into Cottonwood Landfill.

On landfill with view towards A-Mountain. A landfill gas monitoring probe can be seen (short white pole looking thing).

Attachments

  • Closed Landfills Inspection and Maintenance Report

    The City of Tucson - Environmental Services owns and maintains fifteen closed regulated and non-regulated landfills. This guidance report provides the procedures for inspecting and maintaining those landfills. The text portion of this report is available at this link. To review the full document contact the Environmental Services office at 520-791-3175.

  • Monitoring Report for 2009

    This is the latest and final report for Groundwater and Soil Vapor Monitoring completed in 2009 at the Cottonwood and Ryland Landfills. The text, tables, and figures to the report are available at this link. For the full document contact the Environmental Services office at 520-791-3175.