OROVILLE, California – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, today released its Environmental Assessment for use of the former Koppers Inc. Plant in Oroville, California, as a temporary debris handling facility (TDHF) to stage, sort, process and transfer non-hazardous debris generated from the 2018 Camp Wildfire.
Factors considered in the Environmental Assessment were direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts on soil quality; water quality; air quality; noise; traffic; biological resources, including special status species; and cultural and historic resources.
The project proposes to use the Koppers site as a TDHF to stage and reduce non-hazardous fire-related debris (e.g., concrete, masonry, vehicles and other metal materials) from the Town of Paradise and the surrounding communities. Reduced debris, such as crushed concrete and shredded metal material, would be transferred to rail cars or trucks for transfer to recycling or disposal areas. The Koppers TDHF would be limited to handling approximately 1 – 2 million tons of non-hazardous debris. The State of California will be responsible for removing debris from the impacted area and transporting it to the site. Best management practices and mitigation measures will be implemented throughout the operation of the site.
USACE is soliciting public comment on the proposed facility through December 30, 2018, via email at TDHF@usace.army.mil.
The environmental assessment can be found online at https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/CAwildfire/.
Information about the State of California’s private property debris removal program is available by visiting CaliforniaWildfireRecovery.org
Release no. 18-037