[Storm Debris Collection Update Press Conference]
[00:00:06]
KEN SNIPES, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, AND WE ARE HERE TO TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON HOW THINGS ARE GOING WITH THE DEBRIS MANAGEMENT AND RECOVERY EFFORT HERE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, AS YOU SEE, WE ARE HERE AT CIRCLE C METRO PARK.
THIS IS, UH, ONE OF OUR TEMPORARY TRANSFER LOCATIONS.
WE'RE THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS BEING BROUGHT TO.
IT IS THEN GROUND UP AND HAULED AWAY AS MULCH, UH, TO OUR, UM, UH, LOCATION AT, UM, HORNSBY BEND.
UH, THE EFFORT IS GOING REALLY, REALLY WELL.
UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO SAY THAT AS OF, UH, THIS MORNING, WE WILL HAVE GROUND OR COLLECTED ABOUT, UH, A HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS OF MATERIAL.
FOR REFERENCE, A HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS OF MATERIAL WOULD EQUATE TO ABOUT, UH, 65,000 DUMP TRUCKLOADS.
SO THIS HAS BEEN A MASSIVE AND EXTENSIVE EFFORT, UH, HERE, UH, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
MUCH MORE DEBRIS THAN WE'VE COLLECTED AT ANY OTHER TIME FOR ANY OTHER STORM EVENTS OR ANY OTHER, UH, SITUATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH, UH, IN TERMS OF RECOVERY EFFORTS.
SO, UH, FOR MORE DETAIL, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, UH, AMY SLAGEL, DIVISION MANAGER FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
UH, AMY HAS BEEN LARGELY THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF COORDINATING THIS EFFORT FOR THE CITY.
HI, AMY SLAGEL AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
UH, I'M A DIVISION MANAGER FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
UH, AS KEN MENTIONED, SOME OF THE CITY PARKS ARE BEING USED AS TEMPORARY TRANSFER AREAS FOR OUR CONTRACTORS.
UH, THERE ARE THREE, THREE LOCATIONS INCLUDING, UH, CIRCLE C RANCH, METRO PARK, UH, BALM, DISTRICT PARK, AND OLD MAINER ROAD.
UH, THEY'LL BE USED UNTIL THE STORM DEBRIS CLEANUP IS COMPLETED.
THEY'RE TYPICALLY CLOSER TO THE, TO THE DEBRIS AREA.
THEY ALSO HAVE LARGE LOCA OR LARGE AREAS FOR, UH, TRUCKS TO OFFLOAD, AS WELL AS FOR GRINDING EQUIPMENT TO COME IN AND HELP, UH, GRIND THE DEBRIS INTO MULCH.
UH, THESE PARK LOCATIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC DROP OFF.
UH, THE CONTRACTORS MUST HAVE A CITY ISSUED CONTRACT, UH, AND APPROVAL TO, TO UTILIZE THESE LOCATIONS.
UH, SO AFTER THE DEBRIS IS BROUGHT TO THE PARK, IT, IT'S GROUND INTO MULCH AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO AUSTIN WATERS HORNSBY BEND BIOSOLIDS MANAGEMENT PLANT, AND IT'S USED TO MAKE DILLOW DIRT, UH, FROM THERE.
SO WE'VE HAD, UH, ABOUT 4,500 CUBIC YARDS OF MULCH.
IT'S ALREADY BEEN, UH, BROUGHT TO HORNSBY BEND FROM THESE, THESE TEMPORARY DEBRIS SITES, UH, ARRS WORKING WITH PARKS AND RECREATION, UH, DEPARTMENT TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT TO THE PARKS.
UH, THE PARKS WILL BE RETURNED TO THEIR STATE, NORMAL STATE ONCE THE STORM CLEANUP IS COMPLETE.
UH, WE ALSO CONTINUE TO USE THREE 11 SERVICE REQUEST INFORMATION, DETERMINE WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE MATERIALS SET OUT AND READY FOR COLLECTION.
UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO COLLECT THE ALL STORM DEBRIS THAT IS PROPERLY PLACED AT THE CURB.
UH, A THREE 11 REQUEST BEING SUBMITTED FOR SPEC, UH, FOR A SPECIFIC ADDRESS.
UH, THERE MAY BE CASES WHERE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO COLLECT, UH, STORM DEBRIS.
IT COULD BE THAT THE, UH, THE DEBRIS SET OUT IS BLOCKED BY A CAR, OR IT MAY BE UNDER A LOW HANGING LIMB OR A WIRE.
IT ALSO MAY BE MIXED WITH BULK DEBRIS, WHICH IS, UH, NOT PART OF, UH, THIS COLLECTION, UH, AS WELL AS IT MAY BE TOO FAR UP INTO THE CUSTOMER'S YARD OR DRIVEWAY.
SO THE, THE, UH, CONTRACTORS DON'T OPERATE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
THEY ONLY OPERATE WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
UH, SO I JUST WANNA REMIND RESIDENTS TO SET OUT FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES, AND THOSE CAN BE FOUND@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV SLASH DORM DEBRIS.
UH, PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IF THE DEBRIS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE CURB AND IS NOT BLOCKED BY VEHICLES ARE STACKED UNDER LOW-HANGING WIRES OR LIMBS.
UH, IF CUSTOMERS, UH, ALREADY HAD THEIR SEMI-ANNUAL BRUSH COLLECTION SCHEDULED, WE ARE STILL COLLECTING THOSE ROUTES AS SCHEDULED.
I'LL INTRODUCE, UH, NICK RUSSO WITH TETRATECH.
WE ARE A TECHNICAL CONSULTANT WORKING, UH, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO PER TO PERFORM DEBRIS MONITORING SERVICES, UH, FROM THE RESULT OF THE WINTER STORM MARA.
UM, PART OF THAT PART OF THAT INCLUDES PHYSICALLY TRACKING, UH, DEBRIS, UH, AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE COLLECTION PROCESS FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS TO A SITE LIKE THIS, THEN TO FINAL DISPOSAL.
AND WE TRACK AND REPORT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEMA GUIDELINES.
I CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE WAY THIS SITE BEHIND ME OPERATES A LITTLE BIT, THE DEBRIS COLLECTION TRUCKS THAT COME IN FROM THE THREE CONTRACTORS THAT THE CITY IS USING, BRING THEIR, BRING THEIR DEBRIS HERE TO THIS SITE.
IT'S A DMS SITE OR TEMPORARY DEBRIS MANAGEMENT SITE, AND THEY UNLOAD THE BIG BLACK TRUCK, UH, WITH THE ADDITIONAL HAULING CONTAINER BEHIND IT AT THIS SITE.
THEN THAT MATERIAL IS, AS YOU CAN SEE, BEING GROUND UP AND PROCESSED AND, AND THEN THAT IS SENT OUT FOR FINAL DISPOSAL AS THE OTHER SPEAKERS MENTIONED.
I MEAN, ALL OF THIS MATERIAL IS
[00:05:01]
BEING ULTIMATELY RECYCLED INTO, INTO A MULCH OR BENEFICIAL USE PRODUCT.UM, SO FAR TO DATE, I KNOW AMONGST THOSE THREE DEBRIS REMOVAL CONTRACTORS, WE ARE APPROACHING I THINK 770,000 CUBIC YARDS OF DEBRIS THAT HAS BEEN COLLECTED FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WHICH IS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE OVER ONLY A PERIOD OF 23 DAYS SINCE THE WINTER STORM WAS HERE.
UM, IN TERMS OF OTHER, UH, PREVIOUS EVENTS, THIS IS ALMOST LIKE THE, THE CITY OF HU CITY OF AUSTIN WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, HAS THE EFFECTS OF A, OF A HURRICANE A, A CATEGORY, ONE OR TWO HURRICANE WITH THE AMOUNT OF DOWN VEGETATION THAT IS IN THE CITY.
UM, AND SO THIS, THIS PROGRESS OVER JUST THOSE THREE WEEKS IS, IS VERY IMPRESSIVE AND THE CITY IS MAKING VERY GOOD PROCESS IN REMOVING THAT DEBRIS.