City of Pearland Hurricane Ike Debris Removal October 7, 2008 What is the status of debris removal? Debris pick-up started on Thursday, September 18th, and is being managed by a specialty contractor. Up to now, we have had between 13 and 18 trucks working in the city; as of October 7, we will have 26 trucks. More are expected by the end of the week. To date, they have collected approximately 4200 loads of “green” debris (trees, branches, etc.), or about 210,000 cubic yards. The contractor is about 90% complete with the first pass through the city.
What is the plan for continued debris pick-up? A second pass through the city for green debris will be conducted, starting as soon as the first pass is complete. At the same time, the first pass for construction debris will start; this includes items like fencing, drywall, carpet, etc. In areas where there is very little green debris, that will be picked up at the same time as construction debris. While we hope to have the contractor follow a more logical pattern through the city for the next passes, we will not be able to predict which areas will be served on exactly which days.
What about the burning? The city investigated several options for disposal of green debris, including chipping or mulching, landfilling, and selling the debris to various users. However, because of the large amount of debris expected in the city, as well as the health implications of disposing of this waste quickly, we elected to initiate a trench burning (or air curtain incineration) operation. The burning operation off of Veterans Drive has been underway since Sept. 24, burning about 10,000 cubic yards of green debris per day. Over the last weekend, the burn was shut down in order to make modifications that will hopefully allow the burn to be more efficient, with less smoke and ash in the air. The Fire Marshal’s office has been monitoring the burn operation, and makes recommendations whenever they see an opportunity for improvement. After Wednesday, October 8, no more debris will be taken to that site. We will continue to burn the waste that is already stockpiled there, and hope to have the burn completed within 5 weeks.
Will the city pick up debris in gated communities? Yes. There was initially some confusion about whether the city had the right to enter these communities in order to assist in debris removal. We would appreciate if a representative from each gated community would contact Danny Cameron, Director of Public Works, at dcameron@ci.pearland.tx.us in order to schedule the debris removal trucks in your area.
How long will all of this take? The first pass for green debris should be complete by Thursday, October 9. With the influx of trucks into our city, we expect that the second pass and construction debris removal should go much faster. Ideally, all debris will be cleaned up within 4 to 6 weeks. However, since the truck drivers are independent contractors, and there is less debris to be picked up in the city, fewer drivers will stay to complete the work. This may result in some frustration for residents, as the last few areas take longer than expected to be picked up. We do anticipate this problem, and are already taking steps to address this issue. There are several city staff members that travel the city daily, checking for areas that are most in need of work. We appreciate your patience as we work through this disaster.