Toxic Wildfire Waste Will Be Processed At Will Rogers Beach, Despite Local Concerns

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will use a parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach to handle toxic waste being cleared out of the Palisades Fire zone, officials announced Wednesday.

The choice of location was met with sharp criticism from Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park and comes amid broader concerns across the county about exactly how the massive cleanup effort should be handled.

"The parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach will serve as a temporary site for household hazardous materials collected and transported from nearby properties to be consolidated, securely packaged, and safely loaded for transportation to a permanent disposal or recycling facility outside of the area.

"This location is suitable because it is flat, open land close to damaged properties that require debris removal," the EPA wrote in a release.

The EPA has been tasked with completing a first-pass cleanup of properties damaged and destroyed by the recent wildfires. Crews are in the process of removing hazardous wastes, such as oils, paints, lithium-ion batteries, pesticides and propane tanks, from fire-impacted areas. State and FEMA officials have called on the EPA to complete its work by the end of February.

After properties are cleared of that waste, property owners can either opt to have the Army Corps of Engineers clear out the remaining debris — at no cost to them — or hire private contractors do do that work, officials said.

The January LA County fires collectively generated 4.5 million tons of waste — which is nearly equal to half of the 11 million tons the county generates in a typical year, according to county Public Works Director Mark Pestrella.

The selection of the Will Rogers parking lot by the EPA follows extended debate over where such processing sites should be located, with the agency suggesting previously that a site near the Malibu civic center was being considered — leading to pushback from that city.

Park, who represents the Palisades on the LA City Council, criticized the EPA's decision, which she said was made with "zero transparency."

“We understand the need to get this material up and off the ground and out of the area is urgent,” Park told the Westside Current. “But we have to do this in a way that is responsible and does not cause further harm to our ecosystems, especially our sensitive marine environments. And if they put this at the beach, one high tide or king tide could wash it right out to the ocean.”

Similar concerns are being voiced on the opposite side of the county near the EPA's Eaton Fire processing site, Lario Park in Irwindale.

The mostly Latino communities adjacent to the site are exposed to higher levels of ozone and particulate matter pollution than other areas, according to data from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

“The removal of these materials should not come at the cost of creating a toxic environment for communities already disproportionately impacted by pollution," Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement.

• Read more: As Crews Clean Up Wildfires, Some Are Furious Over Hazardous Waste

Regarding the Irwindale site, the EPA said it would regularly monitor air and soil contamination, use water trucks to spray down dusty areas and transport waste out of the area daily.

The agency lines areas with plastic where materials are processed and uses wattles, earthen berms and other items to control spills. The waste will be transported on surface streets, not freeways, so trucks can travel at a slower and safer speed. She said the site would likely be used less than six months, the EPA’s Celeste McCoy told the county Board of Supervisors.

The EPA offered this information in its announcement about the Will Rogers site:

"The temporary processing site is closed to the public, and EPA is using best management practices to process any hazardous household material and keep it contained within the facility. Throughout this process, EPA will conduct air monitoring to ensure that operations in and around the site are health protective," the agency wrote.

Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart, who was among those objecting to a proposed site in his city's civic center area, issued a statement commending the location decision.

"The addition of a second temporary EPA processing site at Will Rogers State Beach Parking Lot is an important step in ensuring hazardous materials are removed safely and efficiently, helping impacted residents move forward in rebuilding their homes," Stewart said. "As recovery efforts progress, we remain committed to advocating for safeguards that protect our coastal environment and the health of our residents. We will continue working with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure this process is carried out with transparency, safety, and care for our community."

The EPA has an existing staging site set up on state property off Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

As the agency continues its large role in the wildfire cleanup effort, the Trump administration has warned over 1,000 EPA employees that they could be fired at any time, the New York Times reported.

City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.