Canby Public Works crews have disposed of an estimated 83,000 cubic yards of debris from the historic Presidents’ Day weekend ice storms last month — enough to fill more than 25 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Even more remarkably, it has taken less than a month for city staff to process an amount of material that — if set end to end — would stretch over 47 miles, enough to get to downtown Portland and back.
City Administrator Scott Archer tells The Canby Current that the figure — a rough estimate, he admits — includes material that community members dumped at temporary drop sites that were set up throughout the city as well as debris that crews collected at public parks, facilities and rights-of-way.
Archer says the debris was processed through chipping and burning at the city’s maintenance shops on Northeast Territorial Road — though the city has ceased burning as of today, Thursday.
The chipped debris has been repurposed for various uses, Archer says, and when fully safe, the ash from the burn pile will be repurposed for local agricultural uses.
Throughout the extended clean-up process, the city received substantial support from Kahut Waste Services/Canby Disposal, Kerr Contractors, Canby Excavating and Extreme Excavating — which volunteered equipment, tools, staff and other resources to aid in removing and processing debris.
“These community partners donated much of their time and equipment,” Archer says. “Additionally, the Canby Fire District team provided volunteer support in helping the city clean debris in various locations including the Canby Adult Center, Timber Park and the city walking path.”
Archer says the city’s burning was done under the guidance and permission of the Canby Fire District, which loosened its burning regulations last month because of the need to eliminate material that could present a fire hazard this summer if left unaddressed.
The city did receive a few inquiries from residents in northeast Canby, near the city shops, but Archer says most were understanding once staff explained “our need to remove the debris in this manner.”
“The city appreciates the community’s understanding regarding our need to do this under the extraordinary circumstances created by the unprecedented storm and amount of debris,” Archer says.
