Two sites in Oroville are being proposed as possible locations for processing Camp Fire debris.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is advancing three possible plans for the two sites in order to process non-toxic fire debris.
Army Corps spokesman Michael Petersen said the sooner the locations are up and running, the sooner residents of Paradise could start reconstruction.
“We want to make sure we can do our part so that they can get debris cleared off of properties and people can start rebuilding,” Petersen said.
Two of the options involve using the long abandoned Koppers Inc. Plant site, an abandoned mill that made pressure-treated and creosote coated wood products. The first option calls for using about half of the 205-acre site, the other about a third.
Contaminated with dioxins, pentachlorophenol, barium, chromium, arsenic and other chemicals, the site was partially remediated under the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program.
The third option would be located at 4801 Feather River Boulevard and is about a half mile away from the proposed Kopper location.
Only concrete and metal debris will be processed at the chosen facility. Material will be crushed or shredded, then packed onto railcars.
“Hazardous household goods are being taken care of on the sites, the fire impact sites, in Paradise and the surrounding area," Petersen said.
Officials performed an about-face on plans to process the debris near the Barber neighborhood of Chico after significant opposition emerged.
A public meeting will be held: Time: 6 p.m. Date: Thursday, Dec. 27th Location: State Theatre, 1489 Myers St., Oroville Details about the proposal can be found here.
The Army Corps estimates that three million tons of debris will be moved off the ridge for processing. That amounts to 150,000 tractor-trailer loads.
While state officials will ultimately determine the route, the Army Corps envisions transporting the debris via Clark Road and Highway 70. That’s a distance of roughly 24 miles, nine miles longer than trucking debris to Chico. But with the Oroville sites in an industrial zone, the debris processing is less likely to disturb neighbors.
An official meeting to present the project is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the State Theater, located at 1489 Myers Street in Oroville. Details about the proposal can be found here.