GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Whether it is loads of debris being shipped to one of four designated dump sites or construction machinery being transported to developments and cleaning sites, the impact of the Paradise cleanup on valley communities is undeniable.

The cleanup effort relies heavily on the use of semi-trucks in the form of ten wheelers and super -tens, which have a 3^rd stabilizing axel. FEMA has contracted with disaster cleanup specialists Ceres Environmental and Environmental Chemical Corporation, who broker with smaller corporations, local businesses and owner/operators, in order to utilize their trucking services for debris removal. This “food chain” of command is currently operating on a 10-12 hour schedule dispatching thousands of drivers to assigned addresses for debris pick up.

According to Ricki Donnahoe, who works with the debris removal company Black Knight Fire Support and Trucking, a disabled veteran’s business, debris is sorted by class—metal, concrete and ash/debris. Each ten-wheeler only transports sorted materials which are wrapped tightly in plastic liners placed inside truck beds to contain the toxic materials. A regular ten-wheeler fully loaded can weigh up to 50,000 tons, but a Super-Ten, with the 3^rd stabilizing axle, can max out at 56,000 pounds fully loaded. These loaded trucks then hit the highways to transport sorted debris materials to designated dump sites as far away as Anderson and Wheatland, CA.

The exact number of ten-wheelers has proven difficult to pin down but is thought to be in the thousands. The “Man Camp” located near the Tuscan Ridge golf course, a facility built to house drivers due to lack of lodging in the area, has approximately 1,500 drivers in residence. This is just one of many camps housing drivers in the area.

The cleanup effort has created a boon in work for drivers with Class A licenses, drawing many from out of state and even from out of the country. In her experience on cleanup sites, Donnahoe estimates that 60% of the drivers are from India and have come solely for this opportunity. Zach Torres of Butte Auto agrees with this, stating that many drivers he has spoken with have purchased trucks in order to work this cleanup.

Pay is designated by the broker and can either be hourly or by load. To get an idea of what some drivers are earning, Torres has said that drivers he’s spoken with that have the 3^rd axle earn a higher pay rate than their 2-axled siblings. A 10-hour day will earn a driver approximately $1,400. Due to the higher capacity for tonnage, brokers are favoring the Super-tens.

Torres has observed some issues of concern with the semis. In addition to the obvious, rushed and tired drivers, he has noted serious damage to SR-99 in Gridley, especially approaching Spruce St. The heavy trucks have started to wear down the roadway, creating a speed-bump curve down the center of the road. He has also witnessed Super-Tens driving with their 3^rd axle raised, which is against safety protocol and fails to stabilize the loaded trucks.

And then, there is one more issue that many may not have thought about. In his experience, Torres states that the big-rigs average between 4-6 mpg and dump trips from Paradise to Marysville can be 50 miles one way. Torres brings up a good point, citing concerns of carbon emissions damage and air quality impact, both by the trucks and other equipment used to remove debris that are constantly running up and down the highways of the North State. When he has asked drivers from out of state how their rigs are managing with California’s tough emission laws, the drivers were tight-lipped.

Herein lies the paradox. While well-meaning clean up and construction crews attempt to restore devastated Paradise, other less-obvious damages are being sustained by neighboring communities. Whether through elevated levels of carbon emissions impacting air quality, increased traffic hazards or toxic materials that are passing through our community on an hourly basis, one has to question how “clean” the cleanup process really is.