To the extent possible, the EPA sought to develop hazardous waste regulations that would balance resource conservation and ensure the protection of human health and the environment. Many hazardous wastes can be recycled safely and effectively, while other wastes will be treated and disposed of in landfills or incinerators. (C) If an area is used primarily for treatment, storage, or disposal, any emergency response operation in that area shall comply with paragraph (p) () of this section. In other areas not primarily used for treatment, storage, or disposal, any emergency response operation shall comply with paragraph (q) of this section.
Compliance with the requirements of paragraph (q) of this section shall be considered to meet the requirements of paragraph (p) (of this section). If an area is used primarily for treatment, storage, or disposal, any emergency response operation in that area must comply with paragraph (p) () of this section. Never assume that chemical waste is safe to dispose of in the regular trash or through a sink or drain. Always be cautious; collect and manage it as hazardous waste because this is the safest and most responsible way to collect chemical waste.
General Questions What are the stages of cleaning by removing debris? Phase 1 involves eliminating household hazardous waste (HHW) to eliminate materials that may pose a threat to human health, animals and the environment, such as batteries, asbestos coatings, propane tanks, and paints. Phase 1 is mandatory for all properties that were included in the state damage assessment report and will be coordinated together with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal EPA), and the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (Cal DTSC). A state-sponsored phase 2 debris removal program (the Consolidated Debris Removal Program) is available as an option for eligible owners of damaged or destroyed residential structures; review the eligibility table for the Phase 2 Consolidated Debris Removal Program. As an alternative option, homeowners can also hire a properly authorized contractor and follow the private Phase 2 debris removal process, which must be allowed by the city of Santa Rosa.
As homeowners begin the process of cleaning and rebuilding after fires, it is the homeowner's responsibility to control storm runoff. Owners and contractors of burned lots and reconstruction sites must prevent contaminants, including sediments, from entering storm drains, streams, rivers, and wetlands. Brams and other best management practice (BMP) materials, such as straw, are available for purchase at several hardware stores, garden supply stores, and agricultural supply stores. BMPs are used to prevent pollutants from entering storm drains and into our natural water bodies, such as streams and rivers.
The State contractor will carry out a quick raid, not a thorough cleanup. The detected hazardous waste will be disposed of, but some hazardous waste may go unnoticed or may otherwise require subsequent cleaning actions during the phase 2 waste disposal process by a person certified to handle hazardous household waste. While the state contractor will carry out the initial raid, any homeowner who uses private contractors to complete phase 2 of structural debris removal will need to have a certified asbestos consultant clean their asbestos property before work can begin. The disposal of materials during the cleaning of hazardous household waste will be limited.
The disposal of fire waste for cleaning and reconstruction purposes is a separate process described in the phase 2 information. Under the Sonoma County Emergency Ordinance, phase 1 is mandatory for all properties that were identified in the state damage assessment report from the Glass Fire. Consult the map to determine if your property will require a phase 1 HHW cleanup. Homeowners are not required to be present during phase 1 household hazardous waste (HHW) cleanup.
The safety of the general public and workers is a priority. To avoid safety risks, the public is advised to stay away from areas where HHW cleaning operations are carried out. Exclusion zones will be established around the current work area to ensure public safety. The state's household hazardous waste contractors will be licensed and insured, and their insurance will cover any injury to their employees or damage to equipment that occurs during the household hazardous waste disposal process.
HHW must be eliminated without delay to protect public health and safety. In addition, hazardous waste could have significant long-term impacts on health and the environment and cannot be combined with waste from general cleaning of fire debris that will go to landfills. Disposing hazardous waste from fire debris prevents these environmental pollutants from polluting the environment and protects workers and the community from exposure. The crews that carry out the removal are specifically certified to handle HHW and will wear personal protective equipment.
The following frequently asked questions come from Cal OES and Cal Recycle. In phase II, Cal OES, FEMA, and local officials will coordinate with the state Debris Working Group to carry out the removal of fire-related debris from your property if you have decided to participate in the state program by signing a right-of-entry form. The ROE form and all required attachments must be coordinated and submitted through the Sonoma County Department of Health and Environmental Health Services. To access the ROE form, learn more about submitting the form, or schedule an appointment with the county's environmental health personnel for help completing the form, visit the Sonoma County website.
It will also check the property records to verify that you are the owner of the property. Subsequently, the ROE will be transferred to the State Debris Working Group for processing and scheduling. This debris removal program is for homes destroyed or damaged by fire. Homes that have mostly burned down, but may have walls still standing, may be eligible for the state's debris removal program on a case-by-case basis.
When you submit your right-of-entry permit, notify the representative that your structure is not completely destroyed, so that your property can be checked as soon as possible. You must also include in your right-of-entry permit a “total loss” letter from your insurance company, if you are insured. There are several factors that determine when debris will be scheduled to be removed from your lot. The local government sets priorities within the community, such as properties that are close to public use facilities and areas with sensitive receivers, such as schools, parks, and nursing homes.
Second, they prioritize areas that pose a threat to the environment, such as those near streams and other bodies of water. To maximize efficiency, the State will program properties as best it can in groups to maximize efficiency and overall productivity in order to restore communities as quickly as possible. Crews scrape 3% to 6% of the soil from the ash footprint and the samples are sent to a state-approved laboratory for analysis. The results are compared to background samples taken from nearby areas that are not directly affected by the fire to ensure that all contaminated ash was removed.
If necessary, more soil is removed and the site is re-analyzed until it is again contaminant-free or the soil content is determined to be consistent with the background levels of similar soils on a property. All soil test results are returned to the State Debris Working Group for final review and validation. Once the State Debris Task Force has ensured that contractors have removed all debris and that soil tests meet California state standards, contractors will reinstall erosion control methods. The State Debris Working Group will then inform your local government that your land is clear.
Your local government will then notify you that your property is safe and ready for reconstruction. If you decide to remove fire-related debris from your property, you must obtain all necessary environmental permits and authorizations from the City of Santa Rosa before your contractors begin any work. Download a request for the removal of private debris against glass fires. Homeowners don't need to be present, but they can see the cleanliness of their property from a safe distance.
To avoid safety risks, the public is advised to stay away from areas where debris removal operations are being carried out. Exclusion zones will be established around the work area to ensure the safety of the public and workers. The State Debris Working Group will use on-site erosion controls, as well as sediment collection devices around storm drains to minimize impacts on rivers, streams, and aquifers. They are also taking steps, such as wrapping debris in trucks to minimize particles traveling from air to water.
Contractors must comply with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations related to safety and the environment. Whenever there is a conflict between codes or regulations, the strictest regulation applies. All initial costs will be paid by state and federal agencies. However, if homeowners have homeowners insurance that covers debris removal, homeowners should inform local officials indicating that coverage in their ROE.
Homeowners must remit the portion of their insurance revenues reserved specifically for debris (see additional clarification below). However, to avoid duplication of benefits provided by the state or federal government, your insurance company must pay the government payment for your designated policy for debris removal. (See additional clarification below) If a property owner chooses not to participate once the removal of debris has begun, the owner will be responsible for reimbursing any available insurance product, related to debris removal, collected to offset any debris expenses of the State. If you have a specific amount for debris removal on your insurance policy, you can use the insurance revenues to remove fire-related debris that is not eligible for removal under the program (e.g.
Ex. The local government will only collect the remaining insurance revenues, if any, after you have removed ineligible fire-related debris. If your homeowner's insurance policy doesn't have a separate clause specific to debris and instead includes the costs of debris removal in full coverage, you can use this income to pay for the removal of fire-related debris that isn't eligible for removal under the program. The State Debris Working Group shall choose a main contractor who shall hire subcontractors.
The State Debris Working Group will do everything possible to encourage the main contractor to use local subcontractors. Pools are not eligible, however, crews will dispose of hazardous floating waste. If a property owner does not want to participate in the government-sponsored, State-administered Consolidated Debris Removal Program, the owner can hire a private contractor to carry out debris removal and carry out soil sampling. The contractor and the owner must apply for and obtain approval for a private debris removal permit from the City, before starting work on Phase 2.Yes, soil samples will need to be taken as part of Phase 2 and before your property is ready for reconstruction.
Because Sonoma County soils have natural levels of arsenic and other chemicals, it's important to identify what elements previously existed in the soil before the fire, so that the property can return to its native conditions. The guidelines, requirements, and procedures for doing this work are included in the City of Santa Rosa document “Managing Wildfire Glass Debris,” found in the Santa Rosa Glass Fire Debris Disposal Request Package. Usually, this work consists of collecting reference and confirmation samples under the responsibility of an authorized geologist or engineer and analyzing the soil in an analytical laboratory. If landlords don't know the location of their system, contact the Santa Rosa City Permit Center at 707-543-4649 for help with locating property records.
If no records are available, customers can be provided with a list of certified contractors in the area who can identify the location of the property's septic system. For phase 1, exclusion zones will be established as a security measure, but they are not expected to affect permanent residences. All properties identified in the state damage assessment report (SE) will be included in dangerous phase 1 home raids. See the map to see if your property is included.
A property that falls under the circumstances listed above can apply to the Sonoma County Department of Environmental Health or the City of Santa Rosa for an exemption from the Phase 2 debris removal process and meet the exemption requirements. Additional exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis when the structure measures more than 120 square feet and all of the material contained in the structure is inert. A property owner must apply for approval of a conditional exemption from Sonoma County Environmental Health Services or the City of Santa Rosa (depending on jurisdiction) before cleanup work can begin at the site. The landlord must also comply with ALL of the cleaning requirements and protocols listed in the “Conditional Exemption”.
If your property is near a burned structure but was not damaged, call your insurance company to follow up on the assessment you need to carry out, if any. You can also consult a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) to make sure your property is safe. To find a local certified industrial hygienist, contact the American Board of Industrial Hygiene and select the “Find a CIH Near You” button. For residents of the city of Santa Rosa, you can follow the city's guidance document: Steps to Evaluate and Repair Your Permanent Home.
Residents are encouraged to contact their insurance company. Your insurance may be able to contact your neighbor's airline and coordinate needs. City of Santa Rosa records, including emails, are subject to the California Public Records Act. Unless exemptions apply, emails sent to municipal staff or Council members, any attachments, and any responses are subject to disclosure upon request, and neither the sender nor the recipients should have any expectation of privacy regarding the content of such communications.
Products such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, ammunition, propane, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients and require special handling and disposal. Hazardous substances and contaminated soils, liquids, and other wastes shall be handled, transported, labeled, and disposed of in accordance with this paragraph. A site safety and health supervisor (or official) means a person located at a hazardous waste site who is accountable to the employer and has the authority and knowledge necessary to implement the site's safety and health plan and verify compliance with applicable safety and health requirements. Members of an organized and designated hazardous materials team and hazardous materials specialists should undergo a basic physical examination and receive the medical surveillance required in paragraph (f) of this section.
During the planning stages of a hazardous waste cleanup operation, a site control program will be developed to protect employees, which is part of the employer's safety and health program required in paragraph (b) of this section, and will be modified as necessary as new information becomes available. Hazardous waste sites will be evaluated in accordance with this paragraph to identify site-specific hazards and determine the appropriate safety and health control procedures necessary to protect employees from identified hazards. In addition, generators must fully ensure and document that the hazardous waste they produce is properly identified, managed and treated before recycling or disposal. All of the requirements of part 1910 and part 1926 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations apply, in accordance with their terms, to emergency response and hazardous waste operations, whether or not they are covered by this section.
The EPA developed a regulatory definition and process that identifies specific substances that are known to be hazardous and provides objective criteria for including other materials in the universe of regulated hazardous waste. Phase 1 is the disposal of household hazardous waste (HHW) from materials that may pose a threat to human health, animals, and the environment, such as batteries, asbestos coatings, propane tanks, and paints. Hazardous waste after a wildfire can expose residents to toxic materials, and improper transportation and disposal of fire waste can have hazardous effects on the health of the entire community. If your facility produces waste, here's what you need to know about how to dispose of non-hazardous waste and the assistance available to ensure that it meets all state and federal regulations.
After decades of experience with the current system, the EPA looks to the future and examines how the hazardous waste program should evolve to meet the new challenges and opportunities of this century. .
