Truckee MeadowsAbandoned Vehicle Removal

Eagle / Hornaday Award Project

Jacob C. WatersTroop 3396

Agenda

• The Problem of Abandoned Vehicleso Slide 1 – Environmental Concernso Slide 2 – Contaminant Analysiso Slide 3 – Map

• Removal Concepto Slide 1 – Detailed Concepto Slide 2 – Map

• Community Partners• Questions

• Abandoned vehicles pose an environmental and human health threat to the citizens of the Truckee Meadows.

• Fluids like gasoline/diesel fuel, oil, transmission fluid, and power steering and brake fluids can leak, polluting the Truckee River and destroy wildlife.

• Vehicles contain other materials that may harm the environment and should be removed and disposed of as municipal waste or hazardous waste.

The Problem of Abandoned VehiclesSlide 1

Vehicle ComponentsSwitches and lamps

Fluids such as gear oil, power steering fluid, transmission oil, brake fluid and used oil

Filters

Lead-acid batteries

Wheel weights and battery cables

Air conditioning units

Undeployed air bags

Brake shoes and clutches

Waste tires

Potential ContaminantMercury

Hydrocarbons, Polyethylene glycol, solvents and

polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs)

Fuel, transmission oil and used oil

Lead and battery acid

Lead

Chlorofluorocarbons and other refrigerants

Sodium azide

Asbestos

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons

Proper DisposalLicensed metal recycler that

reclaims mercuryUsed oil or fluids recycler

Recycle through scrap metal recycler or landfill

Battery recycler

Lead recycler

Certified technicians or certified reclamation facilities

Certified technicians

Certified landfill

Waste-tire processor

The Problem of Abandoned VehiclesSlide 2

Hunter Creek

Steamboat Ditch

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Three AbandonedVehicles

Five AbandonedVehicles

Snow melt and rain carries the environmentally damaging contaminants from the abandoned vehicles, along Hunter Creek and Steamboat Ditch, to the Truckee River.

The Problem of Abandoned VehiclesSlide 3

Truckee River

In southwestern Reno, Nevada, at least eight abandoned vehicles litter the Truckee Meadows; damaging delicate wildlife habitat; contaminating the Truckee River environment; and are a visual blight to the community. The vehicles, located by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, are in remote locations and commercial extraction costs are detrimental to their removal.

Working closely with community partners such as Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB), the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) and Nevada National Guard (NVNG), my Eagle / Hornaday Award project energizes the Scouts and Venturers of Troop and Crew 3396 to remove the abandoned vehicles from public lands on Saturday, May 2, 2015.

Using NVNG heavy-lift Chinook helicopters, the vehicles will be extracted as external loads; carried underneath the helicopters. The Scouts and Venturers of Troop and Crew 3396 will work with volunteers from KTMB and WCSO and the ground crews of the NVNG to rig the vehicles for aerial extraction. The eight vehicles will be moved to a ground accessible, centralized point where a recycling company will transport the vehicles to a suitable materials reclamation facility.

Removal ConceptSlide 1

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Three AbandonedVehicles

Five AbandonedVehicles

Removal ConceptSlide 2

Helicopter Landing Zone / Ground Collection Point

On May 2, 2015, the eight vehicles will be extracted from their remote locations by NVNG helicopter and taken to the ground collection point where the WCSO will verify the vehicles’ identification. A volunteer towing company will then move the vehicles to a local automobile recycling center for proper disposition.

Helicopter Landing Zone

Community Partners

• BSA Troop and Venture Crew 3396 (Mr. Jim Stewart)o Volunteers and ground crew

• Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (Ms. Jamie Souza)o Operational permitso Community coordination / awarenesso Volunteers

• Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (Sergeant Eric Smith)o Abandoned vehicle identificationo Hazardous waste processing, transport, and disposal coordinationo Volunteers

• Nevada National Guard (Major Matthew Jonkey)o Flight and rigging crewso Helicopters

Questions