Keeping Pace with the Debris Mission  

Debris removal operations for hurricanes Katrina and Rita have progressed at an unprecedented pace. In the first 6 months of operations in Louisiana, Corps contractors removed 19 million cubic yards, outpacing the prior record of 15 million cubic yards in 8 months that was set in the Hurricane Andrew response.

The pace of the debris mission has been defined by the ability of the property owner to move debris to the curb, or the absence of property owners. Debris removal from private property moved at an impressive rate once the Corps of Engineers was given the authority by the local municipalities to move onto private property, rather than wait for citizens to clean up and place the debris on the curbside. 

When Corps debris teams required a voluntary right-of-entry from the property owner to remove the debris from the property, approximately 1,000 properties were cleared in 15 months.  Once Executive Order authorities were received allowing the Corps access to the property, 20,000 properties were cleaned in 3 months.

To-date, 27million cubic yards have been removed in Louisiana and Mississippi; 12 million cubic yards have been removed from the city of New Orleans. Debris removal operations are now substantially complete in all USACE areas of responsibility except New Orleans, which is targeted for completion in June 2007.

Key factors which influence the pace of the debris mission are listed below:

• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita generated 64 million cubic yards of debris strewn throughout 21 parishes covering almost 15,000 square miles
   
• As part of its ongoing commitment to adhering to strict adherence of environmental laws and regulations, the Corps of Engineers used rigorous protocols for segregation, collection, processing, staging, recycling and disposal of hurricane-generated waste.
   
• The Corps of Engineers also adhered to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C which ensures proper management of hazardous wastes from “cradle to grave.” The objective of the Subtitle C program is to make sure that hazardous waste is handled in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
   
• The Corps of Engineers debris removal mission included: municipal solid waste, vegetation, construction and demolition debris, small motorized equipment, asbestos, electronic waste, household hazardous waste, white goods and tires.
   
• To date, the Corps of Engineers has removed 97 percent of Katrina-related debris and 100 percent of Rita-related debris.  
   
• Forty-eight waste management sites have been used for Katrina-generated waste and 21 were used for Rita-generated waste. Currently there are nine active landfills.
   
• The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality oversees landfill permitting. The Corps of Engineers does not engage in a direct contractual relationship with permitted landfills, but reimburses prime contractors for tipping feels charged for waste disposal.
   
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration provided oversight for issues pertaining to public health and worker protection. The Federal Emergency Management Association and state of Louisiana used monitors to supplement the Corps of Engineers quality assurance practices.