The operation to recycle fire debris at the Altadena Golf Course is underway, drawing protests from the community.
"You don't care. If you cared, you wouldn't do this to us," an angry community member who lost her home in the fire yelled through tears at Army Corps of Engineers Col. Eric Swenson.
The group of about a handful of protesters said that using the golf course to recycle fire debris is a health hazard because of the dust and noise pollution.
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"We're talking about a literal industrial setup here," a protester told KNX News' Karen Adams. "Decades of research have shown it's unsafe to operate near residents. Furthermore...the noise pollution is at a decibel level that can cause deafness."
However, Swenson pushed back, saying they are keeping the noise and dust to a minimum.
"Anytime you put trucks in a community, you're going to have increased noise, but we try to manage that by keeping our hours to sort of working daylight working hours [7 am-7 pm]," Swenson said. "And being sensitive to the community's needs, we have fences up for dust... and street sweepers running around here putting water down."
Swenson said that in addition to deploying air quality monitoring systems, all the materials brought in had been inspected and cleared of hazardous materials by the EPA, which he said means they do not pose a health risk to the community.
Protesters don't believe it. "If they told you this is recycling and nothing toxic is coming, that's a bald-faced lie," said a distrustful resident.
According to the protester, a flyer circulated by the Army Corps of Engineers stated they were bringing in burned cars and trees, materials that, if not handled properly, can be hazardous. Sill Swenson insists they are doing everything possible to minimize risk.
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