Coconino County will keep the Willard Springs Transfer Station open two extra weekends this year to help residents maintain defensible spaces against wildfire around their homes.
Coconino County will keep the Willard Springs Transfer Station open two extra weekends this year to help residents maintain defensible spaces against wildfire around their homes. The station normally closes for the winter season on the last Saturday of October; however, because the threat of wildfire remains extremely high, the station will remain open during its normal hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Saturday, November 14 for the free deposit of green waste only.
“After two of the driest monsoon seasons on record, our forests remain tinder dry,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Liz Archuleta, District 2. “Keeping Willard Springs open for a few more weekends will help our residents continue to keep their properties clear of pine needles and leaves to help mitigate the severe threat of wildfire.”
Located just off of Exit 326 on the west side of southbound I-17, Willard Springs is open to all County residents but primarily serves the communities of Kachina Village, Mountainaire and Munds Park. Since the transfer station opened for free green waste-only disposal last April, more than 25,000 cubic yards of green and woody waste have been deposited by residents and collected through specialty events like the Bear Jaw Community Cleanup and the County’s annual Community Cleanup Days. By the end of this record-setting season it is expected that Willard Springs will be nearly filled to capacity with 30,000 cubic yards of green waste collected, which is almost triple the amount the station normally receives in a year.
“County residents really stepped up this spring and summer to create wildfire-defensible spaces in their communities, the result of which is a record amount of green waste deposited at Willard Springs,” said District 3 County Supervisor Matt Ryan, whose district includes the Willard Springs Transfer Station. “With wildfire season extending into autumn, we hope that residents will use these extra two weekends to continue this effort by cleaning up any new piles of pine needles or other green waste for free deposit at Willard Springs.”
Residents will be allowed to dump acceptable green waste such as pine needles, branches, leaves and brush for free at the Willard Springs Transfer Station. However, the station remains closed to solid & bulk waste deposits due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. The Cinder Lake Landfill, located at 6770 E. Landfill Rd, is accepting household and bulk waste. For more information please call the landfill at 928-213-2125.
For more information please visit www.coconino.az.gov/WillardSprings or call Public Works Projects Manager Ron Hollamon at 928-679-8300.