Coconino County鈥檚 Willard Springs Green Waste Site will close Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15, in anticipation of a multiday winter storm, and remain closed until the county deems conditions safe for reopening.
County officials stated that the closure is necessary for public safety due to expected hazardous driving conditions from high winds and heavy snow and to allow for snow removal operations at the site.
The National Weather Service has predicted up to a foot of new snowfall from the imminent storm, along with winds gusting to 50 mph.
The Willard Springs site normally does not open until April, but the county opened the site on March 7 this year following an unusually dry winter. Coconino County Public Works Director Christopher Tressler said the early opening was intended to support residents who wanted to remove pine needles and other vegetation to create more defensible space around their properties ahead of wildfire season.
The site鈥檚 normal operating hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once it reopens, county residents may drop off acceptable green waste during those hours -- such as pine needles, branches and leaves -- free of charge with no load limits. (The last load of green waste is accepted through the gate at 4:30 p.m.)
Willard Springs is located about 15 miles south of Flagstaff and just west of Interstate 17 at the Willard Springs Road Exit (Exit 326). The site does not accept bulk or household waste; those materials are accepted at the City of Flagstaff Cinder Lake Landfill.