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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH - Environmental Health/Code Enforcement Director Tia Branton
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
a) ORDINANCE NO. 2141 - Request adoption of an ordinance to implement the Tehama County Park Fire Urgency Ordinance relative to fire debris and hazard tree removal resulting from the Park Fire
1) Waive the reading
2) Accept the introduction
3) Adopt the Ordinance
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Financial Impact:
No significant impact anticipated.
Background Information:
The fire now known as the "Park Fire" started on July 24, 2024 in Upper Bidwell Park on the edge of Chico, California. It quickly moved into Tehama County and has burned over 432,000 acres in Butte and Tehama County and is now the fourth largest wildfire in state history.
In Tehama County alone the fires have destroyed approximately 281 private structures, and several commercial structures and caused significant acreages of timber to be burned. This has created an accumulation of fire debris, much of which has been determined may contain hazardous materials.
Uncontrolled hazardous materials and debris pose significant threats to public health, through inhalation of dust particles and contamination of drinking water supplies, and improper handling of hazardous materials can expose residence to toxic materials and improper transport and disposal of fire debris can spread hazardous substances throughout the community.
Cal OES has been granted permission to proceed with a state run debris removal program that would allow homeowners to have all fire debris and hazardous trees removed at no out of pocket expense. This program would allow Cal OES and their contractors to complete all fire debris cleanup in such a way that the safety of Tehama County residents would not be in peril. This ordinance would allow other property owners who do not qualify for the state run program to follow an alternative Debris Cleanup program that would be overseen by Tehama County Environmental Heal...
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