Stratus personnel were responsible for ash and debris sampling, removal, and disposal at a site within Amador County city limits where several buildings were completely destroyed by fire.

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On the initial site walk for the project, Stratus personnel observed the remnants of the structures (a residence, art gallery, and auto repair shop) which included ash, charred wood, brick, steel, various building materials and debris, several burned vehicles, and equipment.

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Prior to site characterization of the art gallery and auto repair shop (the residence was not part of the scope of work), straw waddles and other erosion control measures were placed between a year-round creek which flows adjacent to the properties and the ash removal area. Stratus monitored the creek upstream and downstream of the burn site to evaluate potential impacts to water quality from the fire. In addition, scrap metal was physically separated from the ash and recycled, and lumber and inert building debris was hauled to a class III landfill prior to ash characterization.

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Considering the nature of materials contained or likely contained within the structures prior to the fire, characterization of the ash was conducted to determine if constituents of concern were present in concentrations that would prohibit disposal of ash in a class III landfill. In addition to the possible presence of asbestos and heavy metals, the auto repair facility was assessed for petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and oil and grease.

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Asbestos was not detected in the samples from the former auto repair shop; however, lead and petroleum product constituents were detected. Total lead was reported at a concentration that exceeded the California Code of Regulations Title 22 Hazardous Waste Total Threshold Limit Concentration, thus the ash was classified as a hazardous waste. Asbestos was also not detected in the ash samples from the art gallery; however, like the auto repair shop, the ash also contained elevated concentrations of lead and was classified as a hazardous waste.

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Following sampling of the in-place-ash, the material was segregated, stockpiled, and covered to prevent wind and/or rain erosion. After waste profiling, all ash stockpiles were hauled under hazardous waste manifest protocol to an appropriate class I disposal facility. Soil confirmation samples were collected following ash removal to verify that constituents of concern were not remaining at the site above regulatory limits.

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