Army Corps to Complete Landfill World Trade Center Recovery Operations Shortly.

Business Editors

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today that it will complete operations at the Staten Island landfill for screening and recovery of World Trade Center debris on July 15.

The $125 million mission was assigned by FEMA to the Corps Oct. 1, 2001. The Corps managed the operations at the 160-acre site, known as "The Hill" and established measures to protect the safety of the workers and facilitate the recovery effort. Working with NYPD, FBI, EPA and the Dept. of Sanitation, the Corps provided the necessary support to these organizations as well as 28 other agencies involved in the recovery investigation.

The primary objective of the operation was to establish an effective process to manage the debris inspection. In essence, it was a humanitarian effort to recover the human remains and personal belongings of those individuals lost in the tragedy and to return them to their families.

Because of the nature of the events of Sept. 11 and the sensitivity associated with the task, the operation at the landfill was an extraordinary assignment for the Corps and uncharted ground for many agencies at the site.

Specifically, the Corps, through its prime contractor Phillips and Jordan Inc., mechanized the operation by providing labor, heavy equipment, conveyor belts, screening equipment, temporary structures for warming and storage, worker decontamination facilities, and food service facilities. This yielded an effective system for law enforcement personnel performing the investigation safely with health and food services that improved the quality of life for investigators.

Approximately 1.62 million tons of debris and steel were processed during the operation. The operation lasted almost 10 months, with the last truckload of material from Deutsche Bank arriving at the landfill June 28. At the height of the operation some 7,000 tons of material were processed each day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As part of its Advanced Contracting Initiative, the Corps lets contracts using competitive bidding processes with firms for specific geographic areas to expedite recovery operations associated with natural disasters. Phillips and Jordan was mobilized immediately following the tragedy to assist in this unprecedented recovery effort.