State contractors have cleared eligible debris from more than 94 percent of the properties affected by the Woolsey and Hill fires in the state’s Consolidated Debris Removal Program, officials with the Debris Removal Operations Center (DROC) in Calabasas reported today.

To date, crews have removed debris from 880 — or 94.32 percent — of 933 eligible properties in both Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

In Los Angeles County, contractors have cleared debris from 788 — or 94.48 percent — of the 834 eligible properties affected by the Woolsey Fire.

In Ventura County, crews have cleared 92 – or 92.93 percent – of the 99 eligible properties affected by the Woolsey and Hill fires.   The 92 cleared properties include 86 – or 92.47 percent — of the 93 eligible properties affected by the Woolsey Fire and all six eligible properties affected by the Hill Fire.

Through June 2, crews removed nearly 397,000 tons of debris, with the Woolsey Fire responsible for generating almost 88 percent of it

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.

According to DROC officials, crews have finished implementing erosion control measures on 499 of the cleared properties in Los Angeles County and on 65 of the cleared properties in Ventura County, including five of the six properties in the county affected by the Hill Fire.

Officials also have submitted final inspection reports to local officials for 494 of the cleared sites in Los Angeles County and for 65 of the cleared sites in Ventura.  Submission of the 559 final inspection reports to local officials in both counties clears the way for those property owners to begin reconstruction.

During the state’s debris removal operation, contractors conduct site assessments, asbestos surveys and abatements as required for every site.  Crews also remove the fire debris, which consists of burnt metal, ash and other burn debris, concrete and contaminated soil.  Following this debris removal process, the surveying contractor returns to the site and conducts soil sampling which is sent to state certified laboratories for testing.

Once the state certified laboratories verify that the samples taken from the properties meet state environmental health and safety criteria, contractors then install fiber rolls and apply a virgin-based, biodegradable mulch to every cleared property whose owners have opted to have contractors implement the two types of erosion control measures.  Following these erosion control measures, state officials and staff conduct a walkthrough of each property to ensure all of the requirements of the state program were completed to the state’s high standard.

Debris removal officials also reported that contractors have completed site assessments on 1,027 properties – 916 in Los Angeles County and 111 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 1,018 asbestos surveys – 914 in Los Angeles County and 104 in Ventura County.   In addition, they have abated 142 of the 148 properties in Los Angeles County where they found bulk quantities of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs).   In Ventura County, crews have abated all 22 parcels where they identified bulk quantities of ACMs.

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 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.

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