EPA Completes Household Hazardous Material Removal for Eastern Washington Wildfires Ahead of Schedule
Agency cleared 789 properties within one month, advancing next steps in recovery
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the completion of its household hazardous material (HHM) removal mission in response to the catastrophic Eastern Washington wildfires. The Trump EPA has cleared 789 properties in just under one month, well ahead of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 60-day deadline.
The completion of EPA’s HHM removal mission marks a critical milestone in Eastern Washington communities’ recovery efforts in the wake of devastating wildfires.
“Helping Eastern Washington communities recover has been a top priority for the Trump EPA, and we had teams on the ground working day and night to get it done,” said EPA Region 10 Regional Administrator Emma Pokon. “We are grateful to the greater Spokane community, Tribal Nations, and local agencies for their support and partnership throughout this critical work.”
EPA deployed the morning after the red flag warning was lifted, working with state and local partners to set up operations as quickly as possible. Since HHM removal operations began, EPA has had an average of over 220 personnel on the ground each day working to complete our part of this mission. EPA surveyed all accessible impacted properties, removing more than 195,000 pounds of hazardous waste, making it safer for homeowners, contractors, and local agencies to continue to carry out the rebuilding process.
“Our teams were on the ground day in and day out, carefully removing hazardous materials and coordinating directly with homeowners to complete the work safely and efficiently,” said EPA Incident Commander Brooks Stanfield. “We would not have been able to begin this work as seamlessly and quickly without the leadership of Spokane County EMD, Spokane Regional Health, Ecology, and other partner agencies. As the recovery effort continues, the community is in good hands with these agencies guiding them through the work to come.”
“People in Spokane have come together to support one another and rebuild their neighborhoods,” said Casey Sixkiller, director of the Washington Department of Ecology. “Getting teams on the ground to remove hazardous materials from areas damaged in the wildfires has been an important step to allow those recovery efforts to begin quickly and safely. We’re grateful for the coordination among local, state, federal and Tribal partners that allowed EPA to mobilize swiftly and complete this work ahead of schedule.”
EPA will now begin the demobilization process and is working with partners to ensure a smooth transition to the next phase of recovery. For properties that participated in EPA's HHM cleanup program, homeowners can begin the next steps in the rebuilding process once EPA marks their property complete. For most, the next step is completing an asbestos survey from an asbestos-certified building inspector. If asbestos is identified in the survey, homeowners will work with a Washington-certified abatement company to have it removed. Regardless of whether asbestos was identified, a Notice of Intent from Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency must be completed before building permits can be obtained from the City and County of Spokane. For more information on the asbestos survey and next steps, visit Spokane Clean Air’s Asbestos Guidance for Property Owners.
Background
EPA teams removed potentially dangerous everyday products and chemicals, including paints, cleaning supplies, automotive oils, lawn products such as herbicides and pesticides, batteries including standard and rechargeable types, propane tanks, and other pressurized gas containers. After a fire, these products require special handling, especially if their containers are damaged. EPA field teams also removed items thought to contain asbestos if they are easy to identify.
More information about EPA’s hazardous material removal operations is available on EPA’s Eastern Washington Wildfires StoryMap.