SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — State contractors have finished installing fiber rolls and applying a biodegradable, wood-based mulch to prevent erosion on 310 of the first 690 properties in Los Angeles and Ventura counties affected by the Woolsey and Hill fires and cleared of debris so far, officials at the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) in Calabasas reported today.
Erosion control work by state contractors follows the removal of burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from each property and confirmation by a state-certified laboratory that soil samples taken from each property meet state public health and environmental standards.
Prior to removing debris from each cleared property, crews conducted a site assessment and asbestos survey. Certified asbestos contractors abated properties where bulk quantities of asbestos containing materials were present before crews began removing debris.
Completion of the erosion control work by state crews clears the way for debris removal officials to conduct their final walkthrough of each property before submitting final inspection reports to local officials. Submission of the final inspection reports paves the way for property owners to move forward toward reconstruction. Property owners also can waive erosion control work by state contractors and proceed to the final walkthrough.
To date, debris removal officials have submitted final inspection reports for 272 cleared properties – 239 in Los Angeles County and 33 in Ventura County. The 272 cleared properties represent approximately 74.8 percent of the nearly 925 properties currently eligible for the state’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program.
Under the state program, administered by Cal Recycle and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), property owners who opt in incur no direct costs for the removal of eligible debris.
In addition, contractors have completed:
- 895 site assessments in Los Angeles County and 110 in Ventura County;
- 892 asbestos surveys in Los Angeles County and 102 in Ventura County; and
- 134 asbestos abatements in Los Angeles County and 18 in Ventura County.
Debris removal experts from Los Angeles County Public Works and the Ventura County Environmental Health Division are available at the DROC from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays to meet with property owners who have submitted Right-of-Entry (ROE) permit applications.
Debris officials will notify property owners who have opted in to the state program 24-48 hours prior to the start of debris removal operations on their property. Property owners can meet with crews before work begins.
For more information in Los Angeles County, visit lacounty.gov/LACountyRecovers or call 1-626-979-5370. For more information in Ventura County, visit www.venturacountyrecovers.org or call 1-805-504-7869.