Arcadis awarded contract to help Southern California recover from catastrophic wildfires

Amsterdam, December 10, 2020 – Arcadis (EURONEXT: ARCAD), the leading global Design & Consultancy organization for natural and built assets, today announced that it has been awarded a contract by California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to be the primary consultant for wildfire debris and hazard tree removal in Southern California, following the state’s devasting wildfire season.

The total project is valued at $52.4 million and encompasses an estimated 823 properties and 120,000 hazard trees in Los Angeles, Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties. A team of approximately 200 biologists, archaeologists, geologists, industrial hygienists, arborists and foresters will work together to manage the region’s safe restoration and improve wildfire resilience.

Debris and hazard tree removal requires a complex understanding of fire’s structural, ecological, and chemical impacts. In California, most structural damage occurs in residential areas. Homes are filled with wiring, electronic equipment and appliances that typically contain heavy metals that, when burned at high temperatures, become hazardous ash. Arcadis will assess soil for toxins and evaluate air quality for asbestos and heavy metals to ensure cleanup operations can be performed safely. 

Approximately 4.2 million acres burned in California in 2020, displacing more than 53,000 people. In response, the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) tasked CalRecycle with overseeing structural debris and hazard tree removal projects in participating counties. Arcadis will perform the work with CalRecycle in compliance with CalOES and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements.

"Arcadis is proud to support the Californian counties devasted by the wildfires recover and help them begin the vital cleanup process in order to rebuild resiliently,” said Peter Oosterveer, CEO of Arcadis. 

"Wildfires demolish communities,” said Kathleen Abbott, president of Arcadis’ environment business line in the U.S. "and Arcadis is working tirelessly, in full alignment with CalRecycle and CalOES, to help make these residential areas habitable once again.”

Arcadis has been performing hazard tree removal management for the 2018 Camp Fire since July and has supported clean-up for the Woolsey-Hill, Klamathon and Wind Complex wildfires.

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Improving quality of life

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
ARCADIS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Monika Grabek
Mobile: +31 6 11 40 36 96
E-mail: monika.grabek@arcadis.com

ARCADIS INVESTOR RELATIONS
Jurgen Pullens
Mobile: +31 6 51599483
E-mail: jurgen.pullens@arcadis.com

ABOUT ARCADIS

Arcadis is the leading global Design & Consultancy organization for natural and built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets. We are 28,000 people, active in over 70 countries that generate €3.5 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. www.arcadis.com

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• Arcadis awarded contract to help Southern California recover from catastrophic wildfires