Federal, State and Local Agencies Come Together to Speed Up Wildfire Recovery with New Temporary Processing Site at Will Rogers State Beach Parking Lot
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is working with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California State Parks, and the city and county of Los Angeles to assist in the safe removal of hazardous household materials from properties damaged by the Palisades Fire. This necessary action helps speed up debris removal on properties destroyed by the wildfire and will enable residents to rebuild their homes faster.
The parking lot at Will Rogers State Beach will serve as a temporary site for damaged household hazardous materials transported from nearby properties to be processed, 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 in close proximity to damaged properties that require debris removal.
The parking lot is a California State Parks property that has been operated by Los Angeles County for more than 50 years through an agreement with State Parks. Los Angeles County has a separate agreement with the City of Los Angeles for the maintenance of the parking lot. All agencies are working closely to complete this critical recovery work safely and efficiently.
The temporary processing site is closed to the public, and US EPA is using best management practices to process any hazardous household material and keep it contained within the facility. Throughout this process, US EPA will conduct air monitoring to ensure that operations in and around the site are health protective.
This site is an important part of Los Angeles’ ongoing efforts to safely remove fire debris so that the recovery and rebuilding process can move forward as quickly and safely as possible. We ask for your patience and understanding as state and federal partners work towards recovery for our community.
If you have questions or feedback regarding the disposal of any household hazardous materials, please email US EPA at EPALAWildfiresInfo@epa.gov. For media questions regarding state response efforts, email media@caloes.ca.gov.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Happening in Phase 1?
The US EPA has deployed over 1,000 personnel and more than 80 teams to condense what is normally a months-long process into a 30-day expedited operation. This is a swift and strategic decision to help the community recover and get people back in their homes quickly. Each US EPA team goes directly into the ash footprint of impacted properties to carefully remove household hazardous material? waste by hand; this includes items such as:
- Undamaged household hazardous material that needs proper disposal, such as batteries, propane tanks, paints, pesticides, and aerosol cans.
- To the extent that any of these materials are damaged, they are isolated and safely packaged in appropriate containers on-site before being transported.
How Does the Staging Site Work?
- Once household hazardous materials are removed from properties, they are transported to the staging site at Will Rogers, where they are consolidated for transportation.
- When enough materials have been collected, they are loaded onto a larger truck and transported out of the area.
- Household Hazardous Materials collected will be safely transported and disposed according to state and federal standards. US EPA is in the process of identifying final waste disposal facilities.
- Depending on how quickly household hazardous materials are collected, transport may occur daily or every few days.
- The staging site is critical and will remain in place for approximately 90 days to support this effort.
Why Was Will Rogers State Beach Selected?
- The state has authorized the use of the parking lot at Will Rogers because it has enough space to safely stage household hazardous materials before transport, is flat, and is accessible to trucks used for transport.
- This is not a waste disposal site—long-term storage is not occurring here.
What Environmental and Public Health Protections is the US EPA taking?
We understand concerns about air and water quality, and the EPA along with federal, state and local partners is ensuring that strict safety measures are in place:
- Air Quality Protections – No heavy equipment is being used; materials are being removed by hand to prevent disturbance of ash and debris.
- Water & Ocean Protections – The US EPA is implementing mitigation measures to ensure runoff protections are in place to prevent any impact on Topanga Creek or the ocean.
- No impacted materials collected in the burn footprint will be placed on the ground in the staging area without barriers beneath the container.
Where can I find more information from US EPA on the 2025 California wildfires?
The US EPA created a website where the public can find additional information such as frequently asked questions, fact sheets and more. You can find the website at epa.gov/California-Wildfires.
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