SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — State contractors have removed more than 300,000 tons of debris generated by the Woolsey and Hill fires from private properties in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since debris removal operations began on February 6, officials with the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) in Calabasas reported today.
Through April 28, 268,016.20 tons of eligible debris generated by the 96,949-acre Woolsey Fire have been removed from properties in Los Angeles County, and 36,687.15 tons have been removed from properties in Ventura County. The 4,531-acre Hill Fire is responsible for the remaining 650.79 tons of debris removed from Ventura County properties. Debris eligible for removal under the state’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program includes burned metal, concrete, ash, and contaminated soil.
Under the state program, administered by CalRecycle 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.
To date, DROC officials have submitted final inspection reports for 197 properties to officials in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The 197 submitted reports include 169 for properties in Los Angeles County affected by the Woolsey Fire and 28 for properties in Ventura County – 25 related to the Woolsey Fire Submission of the reports by DROC officials clears the way for owners of those properties to begin reconstruction.
According to DROC officials, state contractors have cleared fire-related debris from 639 properties. The 639 cleared properties represent 69.5 percent of the 920 properties currently eligible for the state program.
Of the 639 cleared properties, 575 properties in Los Angeles County and 64 are in Ventura County. The Woolsey Fire is responsible for all the debris removed from the Los Angeles County properties, as well as 60 of the Ventura County properties. Debris from the other four Ventura County sites cleared so far stems from the Hill Fire.
Crews have finished installing fiber rolls on and applying a wood-based, biodegradable mulch and binder to 219 of the cleared properties in Los Angeles County and 23 of the cleared sites in Ventura County. Completion of the two erosion control measures on each property follows completion of site assessments, asbestos surveys and abatements, where needed, as well as the removal of debris and confirmation by a state-certified laboratory that soil samples taken at each cleared site meet state environmental and health standards.
Debris removal officials also reported that contractors have completed site assessments on 982 properties – 875 in Los Angeles County and 107 in Ventura County. During site assessments of properties whose owners have opted into the state program, contractors document and photograph property lines, the location of septic tanks, the footprints of foundations and ash, as well as objects that pose a hazard or hamper operations such as trees, pools and vehicles.
Contractors also have completed 887 asbestos surveys and abatements on 129 of the 135 properties in Los Angeles County where they found bulk quantities of asbestos containing materials (ACMs). In Ventura County, they have conducted 100 asbestos surveys and abated 17 of 21 properties containing bulk quantities of ACMs.
Property owners who have submitted ROEs can meet one-on-one with debris removal experts from their respective counties to discuss the status of their ROEs and issues related to their property at the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) located at 26610 Agoura Road in Calabasas. The DROC is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays.
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 on their properties 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.