SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Every day from sunup to sundown, roughly 250 trucks deliver 3,500 to 5,000 cubic yards of mostly vegetative debris to the temporary debris reduction site at El Tuque Quarry, near Ponce.
Across the island, the US Army Corps of Engineers estimates it will remove 3.4 million cubic yards of debris. It has already removed more than 711,000 cubic yards. Currently USACE has agreements to work in 54 municipalities, including Ponce. Debris removal in the Ponce area began Oct. 22, and about 149,000 cubic yards have been received so far at the quarry.
Through the use of contracts which are part of the USACE Advanced Contracting Initiative, USACE hires local contractors, including Xperts Inc., which is working here to remove and process debris. Before a truck can haul debris, it is measured and undergoes a safety inspection. The measurement is used to calculate the truck’s capacity. Trucks vary in their capacity, with an average of 20 cubic yards.
When a debris-filled truck enters the disposal site, it first stops at the tower. “There is a USACE employee there who estimates the load and we have contractors who document the information,” said Alison Hebert, a quality assurance specialist from the New Orleans District.
The first dumping area used at the site has already filled up with debris, necessitating another area at the quarry for the trucks to dump their loads. Now the trucks drive up a small, unpaved hill to unload. When it rains, “the mud slows down operations and the trucks often back up as they wait to unload debris,” Hebert said.
To maximize scarce landfill space, much of the vegetative debris is being recycled into mulch.
The mulcher runs about eight hours a day and daily turns an average of 5,000-6,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris into mulch. Currently there is more than 30,000 cubic yards of mulch on site.
Construction and demolition debris can slow down the mulching process. Ideally, this type of debris is completely separated from the vegetative debris as it can’t be mulched. When small pieces of debris like metal pipes or bricks get mulched they can break the grinding mechanism in the mulcher, stopping the machine until it is repaired.
Eventually the mulch will be used for compost, landfill cover, slope protection, and more.
“Driving around the island, there are signs everywhere of the storm’s wrath and the debris mission is an integral part of the recovery process for the island and its residents. I’ve always wanted to be involved in an effort like this and very thankful to be given the opportunity to be here with the team. Engineering can be a very unsung profession, so to see the behind-the-scenes work of this massive effort is very rewarding,” said Nicole Harris, debris mission specialist from the New Orleans District.
| Date Taken: | 12.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.03.2017 13:34 |
| Story ID: | 257228 |
| Location: | SAN JUAN, PR |
| Hometown: | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
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