California wildfire fire debris removal nears completion

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), Sacramento, California, has completed the first phase of Butte fire debris removal operations in Calaveras County. Since work began on Oct. 12, 2015, teams have cleared 820 properties of harmful ash and debris left behind by the 70,868-acre Butte fire. CalRecycle contractors will continue to perform final soil testing and install erosion control measures and hydro-seeding on cleared sites.
 

“From the start, CalRecycle’s mission was to bring forward all resources necessary to put these fire-ravaged communities in a position to rebuild,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline says. “We’re proud of the role our employees, our partners, and these resilient communities played to help achieve that goal.”
 

The status of Butte fire debris removal operations in Calaveras County is as follows:

CalRecycle has relocated its Debris Removal Operations Center from 709 Pool Station Road in San Andreas to the Calaveras County offices at 891 Mountain Ranch Road.
 

Phase two of the Butte fire debris removal operation is expected to proceed over the next month as crews are able to access 11 remaining lots that had been inaccessible due to weather. Calaveras County is developing a plan to address properties for which owners have not signed up for debris removal and have not begun the cleanup process.
 

Last fall, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s Office of Emergency Services tasked CalRecycle with the design, implementation, and oversight of cleanup operations for some of the most destructive wildfires in California history. The department worked with experts from the affected counties, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and other state, federal, and local officials to coordinate planning and operations.