EPA, Army Corps report major progress on debris removal; testing and landfill questions remain

Federal and county officials told a Los Angeles County recovery press conference that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have made major progress removing household hazardous materials and fire-related debris, but questions persist about confirmatory soil testing and where ash and debris will be disposed.

At the briefing, Bill Dunbar, Public Information Officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said, "this morning, we've hit another major milestone" and that "as of last night, of the 13,000 plus properties impacted by the fires, EPA has completed over 80% of our work to conduct our portion of the recovery process, which we have been calling Phase 1." Dunbar said EPA has completed household hazardous material removals at more than 8,000 properties and has identified roughly 3,400 properties to defer to the Army Corps of Engineers for Phase 2 due to unsafe conditions for EPA crews.

Colonel Eric Swenson, Army Corps of Engineers recovery field office commander, said U.S. Army Corps teams were actively clearing properties and had "mobilized nearly 750 personnel" with the number expected to grow as operations ramp up. He said the Corps had yesterday assigned 15 primary debris crews to remove ash and debris, 25 asbestos-remediation crews, and more than 80 teams performing site assessments. The Army Corps has begun work at Pacific Palisades Charter High School and has cleared primary debris from four of five schools assigned within Pasadena Unified School District, Swenson said.

Officials described field methods and safeguards. Swenson said crews use a wet method to suppress dust, operate perimeter and sensitive-site air monitors, sort debris on site, and transport wet material in lined, sealed trucks to either recycling centers for clean concrete and metals or to state-certified, permitted landfills. "Our mission is to clear the way for rebuilding and recovery," Swenson said.

Dr. Ferrer, representing the county public health partners at the briefing, described a coordinated post-fire environmental assessment being led by county and state agencies and academic partners. She said the plan includes air monitoring for fine particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, soil sampling to assess heavy metals and dioxins, and water testing. Sampling managed by state and local partners and the LA County public health team is scheduled to begin this week and continue through March; results will be posted publicly, she said.

Reporters pressed officials on whether FEMA or other agencies will conduct confirmatory soil testing after cleanup. Dunbar said that in prior wildfire recoveries "6 inches seems to be enough" for typical fire-related cleanup but emphasized that EPA is not the decisionmaker on that policy. Swenson agreed that past practice has been to remove approximately six inches of material plus a margin to ensure removal of fire ash and debris. Dr. Ferrer said rebuilding is allowed once cleanup happens and that the county and its partners are working on sampling strategies to give residents more information about lingering exposures.

County officials also addressed disposal and permitting concerns. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the county does not license landfills and does not ultimately decide where debris is disposed; that authority rests with the state. Horvath said the county provided the Army Corps with a list of 17 state-permitted landfills that can accept fire ash and debris and that residents deserve direct answers from state licensors about permitting and enforcement. She said the board can influence operating hours and daily tonnage accepted at county-coordinated transfer points — but not licensing decisions.

County and federal officials encouraged homeowners to submit right-of-entry forms so crews can access properties for cleanup. Horvath said 61% of impacted homes had submitted right-of-entry forms, but the numeric total she cited in the briefing was unclear in the transcript. Officials repeated that residents can track debris-removal status on an online public viewer and at recovery.LAcounty.gov.

Why this matters: Removing hazardous household materials, structural ash and debris is a precondition for rebuilding damaged homes and reopening public facilities. How much soil must be removed, where debris is ultimately disposed, and whether residents can obtain confirmatory testing remain open questions that affect long-term health and rebuilding timelines.

Officials said updates and test results will be posted publicly and urged residents to use the county's online resources.

Ending: Officials closed by repeating the two key actions for residents: sign and submit the right-of-entry form at recovery.LAcounty.gov and check the public viewer for the status of property clearances and agency removals.