LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A state-led cleanup of properties destroyed in the Clayton fire will begin in October, with dozens of property owners having granted access to their land to allow the process to move forward and the county seeking still more to participate.
Lake County Environmental Health Director Ray Ruminski said CalRecycle, the agency that led the Valley fire cleanup, will begin the first steps in its cleanup work in October.
August's Clayton fire burned close to 300 structures. The most recent estimate of homes burned is 203, according to Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown, who is sharing county fire recovery coordinator duties with County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson.
Earlier this month, state Sen. Mike McGuire, Assemblyman Bill Dodd and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services announced that state funding will be provided under the California Disaster Assistance Act to fund debris cleanup and removal in the Clayton fire impact zone, similar to the cleanup operations conducted in response to the Valley fire, as Lake County News has reported.
Officials said Lake County officially requested assistance from the state for Clayton fire debris cleanup, which is estimated to cost more than $3 million.
Of 200 residential structures destroyed, about 60 of those properties have been registered now in the state-sponsored cleanup and debris removal program, which is about to start, Ruminski said.
He said as many as 21 property owners already are doing their own cleanup, most of them using approved contractors who worked on the Valley fire cleanup.
“That's really our preference,” he said of the use of contractors experienced in debris removal, explaining that homeowners usually have a hard time completing the jobs on their own. “The contractors that are out there have pretty much got it down.”
Ruminski said the State Department of Toxic Substances Control will begin a sweep of household hazardous wastes on Monday.
He said that will include looking for items such as propane tanks, melted batteries, and chemicals such as those used for gardens or swimming pools.
That will be followed on Oct. 10 by site assessments as part of creating a work plan. Ruminski said an incident management team formed of different state agencies including CalRecycle, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Caltrans and the California Air Resources Board are assigned to the effort.
A few days after the site assessments, Ruminski said actual crews and laborers, with heavy equipment and dump trucks, will arrive to start the major debris removal.
CalRecycle, which led the Valley fire cleanup, will manage the debris removal and site cleanups for the Clayton fire, Ruminski said.
Ruminski said CalRecycle oversaw the cleanup of 1,183 Valley fire properties. “There are still a few stragglers on the private cleanup.”
Pacific States Environmental Contractors, the firm that was hired by CalRecycle to actually do the Valley fire cleanup work, also is expected to be the contractor for the Clayton fire cleanup effort, according to Ruminski.
As before, if there is asbestos in the debris, it will have to go to a special out-of-county waste collection facility, Ruminski said.
Many homes prior to 1985 were likely to have asbestos building materials, he said. There also can be heavy metal residue in the soil, in particular, lead paint, he said.
However, Ruminski said most of the dirt that comes up with the ash from sites that are being cleaned will go to the Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake, as was the case with the Valley fire, while metal will be separated out and put into the recycling stream.
Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors approved raising fees at the Eastlake Landfill specifically for Clayton fire debris in order to meet additional operational and reserve costs.
Forecasters are predicting rain this weekend. “A little bit of rain is actually a benefit in terms of dust control,” said Ruminski, adding that too much rain makes job sites unworkable. “There's a good thing and there's too much of a good thing.”
Ruminski said the target date for completion of the Clayton fire properties cleanup is Dec. 15.
He said the county is looking for more property owners to sign up for the debris removal program.
To sign up, download the right-of-entry paperwork at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Environmental_Health/Clayton__Valley__Rocky_and_Jerusalem_Fires.htm or http://www.lakecountyrecovers.com/ .
Community members also can pick up the paperwork by dropping by Lake County Environmental Health, 922 Bevins Court in Lakeport, or by stopping by the operations center office at the former Lower Lake bank building, 16195 Main St.
For more information call Lake County Environmental Health at 707-263-1164.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
State's Clayton fire debris cleanup set to start in October; property owners can still participate
- Elizabeth Larson
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