Clayton Fire Debris Removal Program County of Lake and State of California (CalOES/CalRecycle) Frequently Asked QuesDons

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1 Clayton Fire Debris Removal Program County of Lake and State of California (CalOES/CalRecycle) Frequently Asked QuesDons 1. Can I start disposing of household hazardous waste (HHW) from my burned property? 2. Can I start clearing burn debris from my property? 3. Can I do my own work or hire my own contractor? 4. How much will it cost me to have CalRecycle remove debris from my property? 5. Where can I take materials for disposal/recycling? 6. If I want to wait for CalRecycle, what should I do in the meanjme? 7. What is the overall process of the CalRecycle project? 8. How do I sign up? 9. What if I do not parjcipate? 10. What is eligible for the program? 11. What if the property was a rental and was occupied by a tenant? 12. What if I bought/sold the property before it was cleaned? 13. Can I be removed from the program once I ve signed up? 14. How does the insurance reimbursement to the County work? 15. What are the steps for the debris removal project, once a homeowner has signed up by submipng a Right-of-Entry authorizajon form? 16. Once the paperwork is submited, when will CalRecycle begin work on my property? 17. Will I be nodfied when cleanup starts? 18. Will I/we need to be there, or can I/we be there, when they are removing the debris? 19. I want to look for an heirloom. Can I do that? 20. What debris will be taken? 21. What debris will NOT be taken? 22. What impacts will the project have on the community? 23. Who is responsible for any damage done to my property as part of the cleanup program? 24. Who is responsible for any damage done to my property as part of the cleanup program? First Things First: 1. Can I start disposing of household hazardous waste (HHW) from my burned property? Yes, the County sponsors temporary HHW events at local solid waste loca9ons. However, the County and State will provide a special program for HHW at proper9es burned in the Clayton Fire. 2. Can I start clearing burn debris from my property? Legally, yes, but the County is encouraging people to wait, if possible. The county and state can now offer to property owners a very safe and comprehensive debris removal program using specialized contractors funded by the Governor s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and managed by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) engineers. Your property, including destroyed buildings, will be cleared, cleaned and tested at no out of pocket cost to you.

2 3. Can I do my own work or hire my own contractor? Yes, an owner may do work on their own property, but the County will require work done using appropriate health and workplace safety prac9ces, proper cleanup to comparable environmental standards and disposal as the CalRecycle managed project. The available state funding will only pay for work done through the CalRecycle debris removal program and not private contractors. 4. How much will it cost me to have CalRecycle remove debris from my property? State funds have been released, and as such the County can offer property owners a very safe and comprehensive debris removal program using specialized contractors managed by CalRecycle engineers. Your property, including destroyed buildings will be cleared, cleaned and tested at no out of pocket cost to you. However, par9cipa9on in the program requires that any insurance funds issued to property owners specifically for the cost of debris removal must be remiped to the County upon comple9on of the program. 5. Where can I take materials for disposal/recycling? Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake can accept ash and burn debris only with wripen approval from Lake County Environmental Health based on an inspec9on by a Cer9fied Asbestos Consultant. Scrap Metal can be taken to Waste Solu9ons on Soda Bay Road in Lakeport or to South Lake Refuse and Recycling on Kugleman Street in Lower Lake or other local scrap metal recyclers. 6. If I want to wait for CalRecycle, what should I do in the meanjme? The primary environmental concern is keeping the debris from becoming airborne dust. This can be accomplished by wevng the debris or covering it with tarps or plas9c shee9ng. Whenever handling or working near debris, be sure that all people u9lize appropriate Personal Protec9ve Equipment. 7. What is the overall process of the CalRecycle project? Once a property owner signs up to the program by submivng out a Right of Entry form, CalRecycle contractors will survey and assess the property, and then clear all structural fire debris and soil un9l tests reveal that the property is clean, axer which 9me a clean lot cer9fica9on can be issued. This effort includes the recycling or disposal of all metal, vehicles, mixed burned debris, concrete founda9ons, retaining walls, and soil. AXer debris removal, disturbed areas will be hydro-seeded for erosion control. Debris Removal Program Eligibility/Signup: 8. How do I sign up? Property owners sign up by comple9ng a Right of Entry Permit, providing insurance informa9on if applicable, and submivng the documents to the County of Lake Environmental Health Division, 922 Bevins Ct. Lakeport, CA or by to lakeeh@lakecountyca.gov or by fax at The Right of Entry Agreement can be obtained by contac9ng Lake County Environmental Health or on the web at Lake County Recovers.

3 9. What if I do not parjcipate? Property owners who do not par9cipate in this process will be required to perform debris removal ac9vi9es in accordance with comparable standards, as established in the Debris Removal Opera9ons Plan, at their own expense. This includes compliance with best management prac9ces for ac9vi9es on site, transporta9on of waste and erosion control. This also includes compliance with the Community Health and Safety Plan. 10. What is eligible for the program? This program is applicable only to residen9al proper9es, including rental proper9es, where occupants reside as a primary or secondary home. Proper9es owned under any business or commercial affilia9on, other than as a primary/secondary residence (i.e., resort or retreat complex, LLC, etc.), are NOT eligible. 11. What if the property was a rental and was occupied by a tenant? Residen9al rental proper9es are eligible; however, only the homeowner (NOT the tenant) will be allowed to sign up for the program by filling out a Right of Entry (ROE) Agreement. The homeowner must fill out and sign the ROE, but may authorize the tenant to act on their behalf. 12. What if I bought/sold the property before it was cleaned? Any property that is sold axer the fire but prior to issuance of the cleanup cer9fica9on will be withdrawn from the program and may be billed for cleanup services, unless both new and former owners sign a property transfer affidavit. 13. Can I be removed from the program once I ve signed up? Eligibility is pre-screened by the County prior to acceptance into the program; some proper9es may be deemed ineligible by CalRecycle, usually upon comple9on of the site assessment. If your property is deemed ineligible you will be removed from the program and no9fied of the reason by the County. Regardless of eligibility, if a homeowner interferes with debris cleanup and removal, the property may be removed from the program at the discre9on of the Opera9ons Chief or Incident Commander. 14. How does the insurance reimbursement to the County work? Par9cipa9on in this program requires property owners to forward only proceeds received specifically for the purposes of debris removal to the County of Lake, which will then be forwarded to the State. Depending on the specific details of insurance policy, property owners may need to obtain a bid proposal from a licensed contractor to establish the payment for debris removal. The CalRecycle program will have no out of pocket cost to owners above the amount specified for cleanup in their insurance policy. If owners do not have insurance, or an amount is not specified for debris removal, owners will not be required to pay any out of pocket costs to the State. Debris Removal Program Steps:

4 15. What are the steps for the debris removal project, once a homeowner has signed up by submipng a Right of Entry authorizajon form? Step 1: Iden9fica9on and removal of household hazardous materials by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and their contractor Step 2: Iden9fica9on, sampling, and removal of asbestos containing material by the CalRecycle subcontractors and consultants Step 3: Site assessment and documenta9on of structures and debris by specialist consultants Step 4: Ash and debris removal by the CalRecycle prime contractor and subcontractors Step 5: Sampling of soil by the consultant, if soil does not meet cleanup standards then addi9onal soil will be removed by contractors Step 6: Placement of erosion control by contractor. Step 7: Final cleanup cer9fica9on and signoff by CalRecycle 16. Once the paperwork is submited, when will CalRecycle begin work on my property? Cleanup teams strategically priori9ze school zones and other areas with the highest environmental health and safety impacts to begin the cleanup process. Once those sites are cleared, crews then move to other areas based on their ability to complete hazardous waste removal and site assessments/ documenta9on. It may take up to 2-3 months for crews to complete your debris removal; however, for this project we an9cipate comple9ng all debris removal by December 5 th. For details on the cleanup progress, please contact the Debris Removal Opera9on Center at Main Street in Lower Lake. 17. Will I be nodfied when cleanup starts? You will be no9fied by the debris removal team at least 48 hours in advance of when crews will begin your debris removal (Step 4). However, other project personnel may be on your property before you are no9fied for prior steps (Steps 1-3 above). 18. Will I/we need to be there, or can I/we be there, when they are removing the debris? Owners do not need to be there, but are allowed if necessary and must agree to stay clear of debris removal crews while working. Crews will cease work on any property where owners interfere with debris removal opera9ons. 19. I want to look for an heirloom. Can I do that? Yes. CalRecycle can provide people with appropriate protec9ve gear so they can look through the debris, and they can also take direc9ons from owners on where to look for something sen9mental or valuable. 20. What debris will be taken? Burn ash & remnants of burned/destroyed homes, RVs, and garages, and on a case-by-case basis sheds, pump house, and other outbuildings Hauling trailers/cars - may be removed only if there is a structure on the property that is associated with a residen9al dwelling (i.e., house, garage, mobile home)

5 Founda9ons ALL founda9ons will be removed. Retaining walls may be lex on a case-by-case basis for erosion control purposes only, as approved by the Opera9ons Chief and/or his designee. Any Owner(s) ini9a9ng par9cipa9on in the program and later deciding to keep a founda9on will be withdrawn from the program and billed for cleanup services up to that point. In addi9on, it is the Owner s responsibility to fill any depression(s) lex on the property from the removal of founda9ons. Hazard trees only - may be cut down and removed through this program if they are deemed to cons9tute a hazard to the debris removal crews. Propane tanks - Propane and other fuel tanks found on the property will be assessed as part of Step 1. Small and medium tanks (less than 80 gallons capacity) will be removed as HHW. Large propane tanks that are leased by a gas company will not be removed through this program (property owners must contact their gas company and arrange for them to pick up/remove their damaged tank.) Customer owned tanks may be removed in this program during the ash and debris cleanup phase. 21. What debris will NOT be taken? Sep9c tanks and wells - Pumping and/or removal of wells and sep9c tanks/systems are not part of this program. Only those sep9c tanks that are deemed to be hazardous to cleanup crews will be pumped. All other iden9fied wells/sep9c tanks will be fenced off to ensure proper marking and safety. Non-hazard (burnt or non-burnt) trees Fences Pre-exis9ng trash piles/dump 22. What impacts will the project have on the community? There will be several teams of staff and numerous pieces of heavy equipment, along with transport trucks for hauling equipment and waste. Many of these trucks will be parked along roads during the cleanup. These crews will create a good deal of noise, but the 9me periods will abide by the County of Lake noise ordinance. There will be water trucks providing dust control, as well as street sweepers and workers cleaning up axer trucks hauling debris. Crews will be implemen9ng dust control measures. 23. Who is responsible for any damage done to my property as part of the cleanup program? Debris and ash removal crews will do their best to avoid and minimize damage to areas and intact structures surrounding the impacted property site. Where wells, sep9c and leach lines are properly iden9fied in advance by the Owner(s) as part of the Permit; the Opera9ons Chief may authorize apempted repair of any damage done to these as part of the cleanup process (Please note: before and axer photos are taken of site condi9ons.) However, ul9mately, the Owner(s) acknowledges the Right of Entry Permit indemnifica9on-hold harmless clause for all structures associated with Property. 24. Who is responsible for any damage done to my property as part of the cleanup program? Repair of publicly accessed roads and driveways is not part of this program. Road damage to public right-of-ways will be addressed by the County of Lake. Damage to privately owned driveways as a result of this program s opera9ons will be assessed and may be repaired on a case-by-case basis, as determined by the Opera9ons Chief. Repair to damaged concrete or asphalt driveways will consist only of gravel placement for purpose of ingress/egress.

6 Advisory Notice Ash and Burn Debris Clean-up and Removal Debris and Ash from Residential Fire may be Hazardous Ash and debris from burned buildings and homes can contain toxic substances due to the presence of synthetic and hazardous materials. Many building materials may contain asbestos and older buildings oxen contain lead. Household hazardous waste such as gasoline, cleaning products, pes9cides, and other chemicals may have been stored in homes, garages, or sheds that may have burned in the fire. These materials can become concentrated in ash and soil following a fire. It is important not to expose yourself, your family or others to any of these materials. Exposures can occur by sixing through ash and debris, causing ash to become airborne and inhaled or ingested. Lake County Public Health has secured assistance from State agencies that will ensure proper handling and disposal of debris and ash from the fire. In order to protect their health and the health of their neighbors, property owners are strongly recommended to par9cipate in this cleanup project or hire a qualified private contractor to complete the work. Because ash and debris generated in the fire may be considered hazardous waste, do not transport ash or debris to landfills and transfer sta9ons at this 9me. It is recommended that debris and ash from burned structures remain undisturbed un9l further instruc9ons are issued. This recommenda9on is in place to protect the health of anyone who may come into contact with the waste, including solid waste facility employees, solid waste haulers, and the public.! Health Services Department Environmental Health Division For more information call