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Dorian debris piling up at Summerside drop-off site

While Summerside officials say progress is slowly but surely being made with Dorian cleanup efforts, debris is still piling up at one of its drop-off sites. 

Summerside residents are being asked to register for curbside debris and branch pickup

Sam Juric · CBC News ·
Gordon MacFarlane, deputy chief administrative officer with the city, says the debris pile is likely about three-times this size now. (City of Summerside)

While Summerside officials say progress is slowly but surely being made with Dorian cleanup efforts, debris is still piling up at one of its drop-off sites. 

The city was particularly hard hit by the storm. 

The large site, located off of Compton Road, will require attention soon, said Gordon MacFarlane, deputy chief administrative officer with the city.

"We have, I'd say a football field worth of 20-foot-high pile up of trees and stumps and branches," MacFarlane said.

For the remainder of October, the city plans to continue with curbside pickup for tree and branch debris on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only.

However, the pickup service will only be available to addresses that have registered. Summerside residents are being asked to call 902-432-1268 to register for the service.

What to do with debris

Residents can also leave their storm debris at the site, at the base of wind turbine No. 4. It's open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

MacFarlane said the city is currently weighing its options as to how to deal with the growing pile of debris. 

Summerside crews working to clean up all of the downed branches and trees from city streets following post-tropical storm Dorian. (Tom Steepe/CBC)

"We're talking to some local contractors of what the viability of trying to chip the material is and there may be some challenges with that," MacFarlane said. 

"Basically just with the amount of dirt and debris that's within the material, there may be options for a controlled burn that would be done by our fire department or there may be some option of trying to bury some of the material," he said. 

Summerside Electric

Whatever option is decided upon, the first step is to complete the cleanup, MacFarlane said. Once cleanup efforts have finished, the city plans to move forward in dealing with the drop-off site.  

A service mast, the connection from the street's power line into a home, is seen in this picture on the right side of the roof on this Summerside home. (Tom Steepe/CBC)

MacFarlane also notes about a handful of Summerside Electric customers who required their service masts to be repaired and were charged a reconnection fee will be reimbursed. 

He said the charges were a mistake and should be waived in a situation like post-tropical storm Dorian. 

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With files from Angela Walker

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