EPA begins "soft start" this week for removing hazardous material

Hazardous debris from the almeda fire will be taken.

Samantha?

Jackson county is on the road to recovery after the recent wildfires impacted our area.

As we enter week five, the environmental protection agency is beginning a "soft start" for the removal of hazardous debris.

The e-p-a was asked by fema to do this cleanup since jackson county decided to have the state cover hazardous material.

A few members of epa arrived last week and more are expected to arrive this week.

Randy nattis: "epa is planning on mobilizing up to eight operational field recovery teams. initially and likely we'll expand to 12 teams throughout the 8 counties we're soon to be working in."

The crews are setting up a staging area at the boise cascade in central point and begin their soft start.

Rand nattis: "soft start is for our operational team to calibrate their efforts for the actually work we're gonna do in the feild."

Nattis says it is important for epa to have a common plan throughout all the teams. this is so when teams separate throughout the burned areas the work is being done the same.

Randy natiis: "all of our equipment and personal resources are mobilizing this wednesday and thursday, this weekend we'll start working on a few properties."

When hazardous material is collected it will be stored at the staging area.

Randy nattis: "boise cascade, our stagging area there, everything there will be temporary."

This includes the waste.

Hazards will be sorted and sealed into plastic cylinders until an appropriate location is found.

Randy nattis: "and then when we reach a certain threshold of material we will properly send it off for disposal.

So i don't anticipate specific items to be on that property for more than a couple weeks at a time."

Nattis says the epa is actively looking for landfills that can properly dispose of the hazards.

He says they typically use landfills outside of the affected areas so the local area is not overwhelmed.

E-p-a wants to stress to the public that boise cascade is ánot a drop off location for fire debris, only authorized personnel will be allowed in the area.

E-p-a says they plan on being here anywhere from 60-90 days and