Marshall Fire coordinated debris cleanup program schedule released

NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY
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Boulder County, the Town of Superior, and the City of Louisville have released the order of operations for the removal of debris from properties participating in the coordinated debris removal program for sites destroyed by the Marshall Fire. It is available at www.BoCo.org/Marshall-Debris-Cleanup. Heavy equipment is anticipated to be deployed in mid-April with the first neighborhoods prioritized as Eldorado in Louisville, Sagamore and Original Town in Superior, and Marshall in unincorporated Boulder County. Now that the order has been established, an online map will be developed to help track progress. We will make this available as soon as possible.

Thirty crews will be assigned throughout the regional project, with 15 initially working in Superior, nine in Louisville and six in Boulder County. Once underway, the entire project is expected to take four months to complete, weather permitting.

The schedule was developed through careful analysis of several factors, including:

• Imminent environmental hazards, including proximity of homes to waterways to protect area water supplies;
• Environmental Justice, using the EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool, based on demographic factors of low income, people of color, and those age 64+; and,
• Efficiencies of removal using input from the contractor, DRC Environmental Services, LLC.

Each jurisdiction prioritized the schedule for their own neighborhoods. By combining all of this information, the project team was able to develop the planned schedule and order of operations.

Areas in each jurisdiction are divided into “runways.” A total of 48 runways were created throughout the Town of Superior, the City of Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County. Each runway corresponds to a list of streets within the specific area to be included in that runway’s cleanup. One of the 30 cleanup crews will be assigned to each runway and will remain in that area until all addresses within that runway are cleared.

In the coming weeks, Boulder County and its representatives will be contacting participating property owners by email to verify the right of entry form and obtain final permissions and an official assignment of benefits authorization to work directly with policy holders’ insurance providers. This will also be the opportunity to inform us of what you’d like removed, including driveways, patios, landscaping, and sidewalks, and what you’d prefer was kept in place.

Twenty-four to 48 hours prior to starting debris removal work on any property, the project team will contact the property’s owner to notify them that work will soon commence. At this time, owners will be able to request a site visit and walk-through so that all parties can discuss the work planned for that particular site.

Opting-In and Out of the Collection Program

Owners of destroyed homes can still choose to participate in the program, but they need to inform the county of their intentions before clean-up work is completed on all properties in their neighborhood/runway. Opting-in at this point does not guarantee inclusion in the coordinated debris removal program as several steps must be taken, including site inspection and soil sampling, before work can begin on any property included in the program, but the county encourages any impacted property owner who does not yet have a debris removal plan to reach out to [email protected] to see if the coordinated program is right for you.

Property owners who originally opted-in to the program but now wish to opt-out should also inform the county of their intentions as soon as possible, but they have until the day before work is slated to begin on their property to officially declare their intention to complete debris removal on their own. To officially opt-in or opt-out, a property owner should send an email to [email protected].

March 29 Public Meeting Recording Available

If you were unable to attend the March 29 public meeting regarding the coordinated debris cleanup program, a recording of the meeting and the presentation slides are available at www.BoCo.org/Marshall-Debris-Cleanup. The Debris Program’s FAQ page is currently being updated with much of the information shared during that session. Visit www.BoCo.org/Debris-Program-FAQs to review the updated questions and answers.

Residents with any other questions about the debris removal work should contact Boulder County at [email protected]. Media inquiries can be directed to Andrew Barth, Public Information Officer with Boulder County Public Works, at [email protected] or call 303-441-1032.

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