Activists are still unhappy about the EPA’s use of the former Topanga Ranch Motel site to sort, package and transport hazardous household waste from the Palisades fire, but government officials are adamant that the sites are essential and will remain in use until the cleanup is complete.
California State Parks, which owns the site, recently released a statement announcing that the agency is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a cadre of other state and federal agencies to assist in the safe removal of hazardous materials from properties damaged by the Palisades Fire.
“The former Topanga Ranch Motel Complex, also destroyed in the fire…is serving as the temporary site where hazardous items will be transported from nearby properties to be safely processed, sorted, and packaged following all state and federal environmental, health and safety standards,” the announcement states. “These items will then be transported out of the area into an approved location for permanent disposal. This site fits needed criteria to serve as a temporary site as flat, open land close to destroyed properties.”
Although the federal government initially stated that the Phase 1 cleanup of hazardous waste would be accomplished in just 30 days, State Parks reports that the work is expected to take three months. Reports suggest that the removal process is far more complicated than originally estimated, and that as many as 200 properties in the Malibu area are too dangerous and unstable for EPA crews to safely enter.
It’s unclear whether the debris flow that covered lower Topanga Canyon Blvd. in many feet of mud impacted the Topanga EPA site. All hazardous waste was scheduled for removal from the site, and the collection process stopped during the rains. When TNT went to press, Pacific Coast Highway was still closed from Carbon Beach Terrace to Chautauqua Boulevard.
Heal the Bay’s Associate Director of Science and Policy, Annelisa Moe, toured the EPA hazardous waste sorting and storage sites at both Topanga Creek and Will Rogers State Beach before the recent heavy rains. She reported that the pollution mitigation measures observed by Heal the Bay at the Topanga site were a “cause [for] concern as they did not seem adequate.”
Everyone agrees that hazardous materials must be dealt with quickly to prevent more toxins from ending up in the soil and in the ocean, not everyone is happy with how that need is being met.
Questions or feedback regarding hazardous materials removal, can be sent to EPALAWildfiresInfo@epa.gov
