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Agencies name permitted landfills and start testing plan for wildfire ash
Summary
County, Army Corps and EPA officials said debris will go to multiple permitted facilities (17 locations identified by county), that material types are routed by waste-acceptance criteria, and that the county and academic partners will compile testing data on a single dashboard.
Officials from the county, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA said fire debris and ash will be taken to permitted facilities selected under state waste-acceptance rules and that the county has identified 17 potential landfill or staging locations, with some sites outside Los Angeles County.
“States establish waste acceptance criteria for the types of facilities that accept this material,” EPA Superfund Director Mike Montgomery said, explaining that different materials (oils, propane tanks, solids, liquids) are routed to different facilities and that the EPA verifies compliance prior to shipment.
County Public Works Director Mark Pastrella said his department and the Army Corps have identified 17 permitted locations in Los Angeles County and some in Ventura County; operating hours and capacity limits vary by site. “These landfills are permitted to receive the materials that we are identifying on the site already. It's not a new permission to receive those landfills. They're permitted by CalRecycle, the State of California,” Pastrella said.
Nut graf: Officials emphasized that permitted landfills will be used and that routing is coordinated with local jurisdictions to deconflict haul routes and reduce community impacts. Colonel Eric Swenson provided an example for school cleanup: ash and debris from five Pasadena Unified School District sites are going to the Simi Valley landfill; concrete and asbestos materials to a permitted landfill; and metals to an authorized recycling facility.
The Department of Public Health and academic partners said they will begin collecting samples this week to assess what contaminants are present in ash and soil and will work to post monitoring data on a consolidated dashboard to make results easier for residents to find. Dr. Barbara Ferrer said county specialists will do risk assessments and field sampling in coming days.
Ending: Officials said landfills being used are permitted by CalRecycle and state regulators; county staff encouraged residents to check the county recovery portal for haul-route updates and facility information as operations continue.
