California’s Wildfires Leave New Approach in Environmental Cleanup

By Michael Crawford

Disaster cleanup has become a growth industry in wildfire-ravaged Southern California. Most recently in October, ferocious fires fed by record-setting Santa Ana winds turned thousands of homes, vehicles and buildings into unstable mounds of rubble and ash and molten pools of toxic waste.

This smoldering residue represents a second disaster-in-the-making to the state’s financial, natural and human resources if not handled properly.

To that end, Sukut Construction, California’s largest and most experienced earthmover, partnered with the California Environmental Protection Agency and California Integrated Waste Management Board to test a new state-developed model for wildfire cleanup that raises the bar for disaster mitigation. The new model coordinates the cleanup of an entire disaster area under one responsible contractor to create efficiencies in time and equipment and to insure an environmentally sound outcome.

The model proved so effective during testing in last summer’s cleanup of the 3,000-acre Angora fire in Lake Tahoe that the County of San Bernardino selected Sukut to lead a similar coordinated effort in Lake Arrowhead where 517 homes were destroyed last fall. The $19.6 million contract anticipates the demolition and removal of private homes and property, and the sorting and proper disposal of toxic and recyclable waste.

As citizens of a wildfire-prone state, we recognize that wildfire debris exacts an insidious tax on our entire community. An average home that burns produces 250 tons of rubble, with the tonnage multiplying many times for modern McMansions. Some of the residue, particularly from melted appliances and cars, is potentially polluting. The damage must be contained if we are to continue to enjoy the high quality of life that brought so many of us to Southern California.

Sukut brings to the job an experienced clean-up crew trained to identify and handle hazardous materials, and a commitment to continuous on- site health and safety monitoring of the work crew. Each job is supported by a team of eight construction and remediation professionals from our environmental division.

Sukut’s coordinated approach produces a superior outcome for several reasons:

•The response is quick.

•The state is assured that recyclables and hazardous materials are separated, that remaining ash and debris are properly place in landfills and that there are no hidden waste streams.

•Cleanup crews are protected through proper hazmat training, safety equipment and health monitoring.

•The community is protected from the eyesore of illegal dumping.

•The environment is protected from pollution caused by improperly disposed toxic waste.

•Insurance companies can reach settlements faster with one-stop-shop cleanup.

Californians’ tolerance for environmental pollution has evolved since the early 1900s when it was standard practice for communities to dump and burn trash in remote canyons. Since the early 1990s, Sukut has participated in Cal EPA’s cleanup of more than 60 dumpsites and extinguished the nation’s longest-burning tire fire, a mountain of seven million tires in the town Tracy. The company is currently winding down its environmental response to the 2007 San Diego wildfires.

Responsible contractors working with the state in utilizing the highest environmental standards can meet our ongoing challenge of wildfire disaster cleanup.

While we may never know when disaster is going to strike, thanks to companies like Sukut, we are prepared to strike back when it does.

Michael Crawford is CEO of Sukut Construction, the largest earthmoving contractor in Southern California. He has led the 40-year-old company to national standing, being ranked within the top 250 largest contractors, and as California’s #1 mass excavator and landfill contractor. While the company moves more than 150 million cubic yards of earth yearly, Crawford is committed to protecting the environment and began replacing its 250-fleet with clean air engines in 2000. Services provided include environmental cleanup; commercial, industrial, residential and retail development mass grading; public works; flood and storm water pipe and structures; highway, roads, water treatment and infrastructure construction; golf courses and resorts; landfill construction and environmental cleanups; and emergency landslide repair and stabilization. Sukut is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, with offices in Oceanside, Los Angeles, and Riverside. URL: www.sukut.com; Phone: (888)-SUKUT01 or (888) 785-8801.