On Tuesday, hazmat crews with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will sift through all the burned properties, removing hazardous materials in the Palisades Fire zones and Eaton Fire zones.
Materials removed from the Eaton Fire will be dropped off at the Lario Staging Area at 15701 E Foothill Blvd. This area is where officials would package the material and eventually ship them out to a disposal site
But officials in the San Gabriel Valley are not happy about the Lario Staging Area being the collection site.
On Monday, officials from the cities of Irwindale, Azusa, Baldwin Park, and Duarte released a joint statement voicing their opposition.
"The Cities will work to formally oppose this site, as well as mobilize efforts to shut down the site as soon as possible," the statement read. "We are currently working with Senator Rubio’s Office to host a townhall in Duarte and allow residents to voice their concerns."
Robert Gonzales, the mayor of Azusa, told KNX New’ Jon Baird he and other local officials didn't have a chance to give input on the location.
“We were not consulted. We were not notified,” he said. “We weren't at the table to air concerns or what the process or plan was. There was zero communication.”
Gonzales added that he’s worried about toxins, the water supply, and the trucks with hazardous materials rolling through neighborhoods because they're not going to be using the 210 Freeway.
Margaret Finlay, a council member in Duarte, said this wasn’t the right decision.
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“The area I live in…60% of the homes up on the hillside were burned back in 1980,” she said. “We did not take our garbage to other areas. Why are they trucking this 14 miles across the San Gabriel Valley when they can stage it in that area?”
But L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the area, told Baird the feds are going to do what they have to do.
“Well, first of all, I have to be clear that this decision is run by EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers,” she said. “These are two federal agencies that are right now under order by the federal government to do an expeditious cleanup, as we all know. So that takes precedence.”
KNX News has reached out to officials in Baldwin Park, and Irwindale and are waiting to hear back.
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