2026-06-16 Safe Soil Cleanup
June 16, 2026
STATEMENT ON COMMUNITY CONCERNS ON SAFE SOIL CLEANUP FOLLOWING THE EATON FIRE
Pasadena, CA - The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) is fully committed to restoring safe, healthy campuses for our students, staff, and community in the wake of the Eaton Fire. This commitment has not changed.
Contractors working in the 11 fire-related contaminated soil projects have committed to full compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. This includes established protocols for wildlife protection, and contractors are trained to identify active bird nests and are prohibited from removing any tree found to contain one.
Following a report from a community member identifying an active nest at the Education Center, tree removal at that site was immediately paused. A qualified wildlife biologist has been engaged to review the identified tree, as well as other trees within the fire-affected contaminated soil area. The biologist’s review will also extend to other school campuses where tree removal is planned. This review reflects both our obligations under applicable environmental laws and our unwavering commitment to conducting this work responsibly and transparently.
We are also continuing to balance an intricate timeline to ensure that school spaces are available to students this summer and also reopen safely for the start of the school year. We appreciate the passion our community has shown for both the safety of our campuses and the preservation of the natural environment that makes them special.
We ask that our community allow our environmental and safety teams the space to do their work. The soil within these closed work areas is known to contain fire-related contaminants in the soil at harmful levels to the health and safety of our school communities. Entering sites is trespassing on school property, and creates safety risks in areas where contaminated soil has been identified, and we want to keep everyone safe. The trees marked for removal are also in these fire-related contaminated areas, and we request the community stays out of these spaces for everyone’s safety.
We will continue to share updates. For the latest information, please visit pusd.us/restoringourschools.
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