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Free Post-Fire HazMat Clean-Up Worked Out For Eight Oregon Counties

Brian Bull
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KLCC

Free hazardous waste clean-up has been approved for homeowners affected by this season’s wildfires in eight counties.  KLCC has an update from a previous story we broke last week.

Negotiations have now been finalized among several state and federal agencies. Now counties with fire-ravaged communities are getting word out to facilitate the removal of dangerous contaminants from the ruins of people’s homes.

Lauren Wirtis of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says homeowners need to grant right of entry first, so EPA crews can come in and take out dangerous items and materials.

Credit Brian Bull / KLCC
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KLCC
A destroyed home can present risks even well after the fire is out. Power lines, car batteries, and chemicals settled in ash or debris may endanger returning residents.

“Propane tanks, fuel, fertilizer, bleach, and that sort of thing that creates household hazardous waste on the property. It’s not safe for an individual’s health to be doing the clean up on their own without the proper protective equipment.”

The state is funding 25 percent of costs, while FEMA is funding the remaining 75 percent.

“People may be using insurance funds or individual assistance to help them in the recovery and rebuilding process," adds Wirtis. "But part of what we’re trying to do here is make sure that they can save their health, save their money, and use those funds for future elements of their rebuilding process.”

The counties approved for this service are Jackson, Lane, Clackamas, Douglas, Klamath, Lincoln, Linn and Marion.

So far this year, more than a million acres have been burned in Oregon, with 3100 homes destroyed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM DEQ:

Affected Oregon counties are in varying stages of developing their ROE forms. Property owners are urged to check their county’s website (list below) or wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup for more information about the ROE process in their county. In preparation for filling out the forms, property owners should identify their property parcel number from their county tax assessor’s office and collect insurance information.

Credit Brian Bull / KLCC
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KLCC

Household hazardous waste can include but is not limited to: fuel and petroleum, car batteries, antifreeze, used oil filters, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, propane tanks, high pressure cylinders, disinfectants, aerosols, paint, bleach, radiological sources or devices, pool chemicals and ammunition. Cleanup crews will also identify and dispose of bulk asbestos materials when possible.

How the process will work

STEP 1: Household hazardous waste removal – No cost to property owner

  1. Once a property owner completes an ROE form with their county, crews will evaluate the property for any overhead hazards (impacted trees) or other physical hazards and conduct air monitoring and visual observations to identify locations of household hazardous waste.
  2. Crews will then remove those items from the property for safe disposal.

STEP 2: Ash and debris removal

  1. Cleanup crews then will remove burned-out structures—possibly including building foundations—ash and other debris.
  2. When this step is complete, property owners will be able to begin the rebuilding process.

State, county and federal partners are actively working to develop funding and implementation options for Step 2: Ash and debris removal.

The State of Oregon’s Debris Management Task Force is overseeing a coordinated effort by federal, state and local government agencies to address hazardous waste and debris removal. The task force consists of the Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

IMPORTANT LINKS FOR PROPERTY OWNERS

Copyright 2020, KLCC.

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.