Data shows how one large contractor carted away thousands of tons of flood debris

This is Part 7 of Downstream , a 10-part series looking at what’s changed — and what hasn’t — one year after catastrophic floods swept through Vermont.

There are many enduring images of the devastating flooding that swept across Vermont last July, from a submerged shopping center in Ludlow to swift water rescues in Montpelier. Another: the large piles of debris that built up quickly in many communities.

In the months following the floods, a patchwork system of debris removal crews spread out across the state, ranging from local trash haulers to large, nationwide contractors.

Data collected by one of those contractors, which VTDigger requested, shows where some of the most intensive debris cleanup took place, and what types of material were picked up there — illustrating how cleanup crews operated throughout some of the hardest-hit communities in the state.

(It does not, to be sure, represent all of the debris removal that took place last year.)

Under a contract with the state government, Florida-based Ceres Environmental and a network of smaller subcontractors removed about 6,000 tons — as well as an additional amount measuring roughly 1,860 cubic yards — of debris between late July and mid-September, according to the data. Much of that debris was ultimately carted up to Vermont’s only operating landfill, a Casella Waste Systems facility in Coventry.

The data was compiled by Tetra Tech, a California-based consulting and engineering firm that monitored the debris cleanup work and provided daily reports to state officials. This monitoring system allows Vermont to be eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and aligns with best practices, officials have said.

Ceres, meanwhile, is one of the largest debris removal companies in the country. It’s made about $2.5 billion in contracts over the last decade, according to its website .

Some two-thirds of the building debris removed under its Vermont contract came from residential settings, the data shows, while the rest came from commercial operations. At least 220 tons of the debris came from mobile home parks, specifically, the data shows.

The contractor’s work centered around the Monteplier and Barre areas. Close to 60% of the debris collected in the capital was classified as “commercial,” while more than 75% of the debris collected in the Granite City was considered “residential,” data shows.

The state worked with a separate contractor, Tennessee-based Servpro, to clean up flood damage and debris at many state office buildings in Montpelier, officials have said.

In Barre, the largest concentration of residential pickups came in the city’s badly-damaged North End, around the intersection of North Main Street and Third Street. Meanwhile, a swath of commercial debris pickups lined the core blocks of downtown Montpelier.

Of the debris collected under the Ceres contract, roughly 1,860 cubic yards was classified as vegetation. A large portion of that material was picked up in towns in Windsor and Windham counties, the data shows.

In all, Vermont spent about $1.85 million on its debris removal agreements with Ceres and Tetra Tech, according to figures provided by Vermont Emergency Management.

Ben Rose, recovery and mitigation chief for Vermont Emergency Management, said while most of the debris pickup has finished there are still some smaller-scale cleanup efforts underway this summer. But that work won’t require the mobilization of large contractors, like last year’s efforts did, he said.

​​Natural disaster debris removal is a major industry nationwide. Federal reporting has in the past flagged issues with fraud in the industry , officials have said, such as contractors misrepresenting the amount, source or type of debris they are picking up.

But Rose and several local leaders said they had no such concerns in Vermont.

“I have nothing but high praise for the work the state and its contractors did on debris removal,” Barre City Manager Nicolas Storellicastro said in an email.

“We were very satisfied with their work,” said Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser, in another email. “Some people, of course, in the moment wanted it all to happen faster but it really went very smoothly and quickly.”

Read the story on VTDigger here: Data shows how one large contractor carted away thousands of tons of flood debris .