Oil and debris spills into Yuba River after penstock burst at New Colgate Powerhouse
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A pipe rupture at the New Colgate Powerhouse led to the oil sheen and debris spill.
- Crews installed a containment boom and hired a cleanup contractor.
- The Yuba Water Agency is conducting ongoing water quality testing.
Authorities continue to work to contain a spill of oil and debris in the Yuba River after a penstock burst on Friday at the New Colgate Powerhouse, the Yuba Water Agency’s main hydroelectric facility south of Dobbins.
An oil sheen was discovered in the river Sunday where it meets with Englebright Lake, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
A crew composed of CDFW personnel and members of the Office of Spill Prevention and Response assessed the Yuba River along the Nevada-Yuba county line. As of Sunday, the crew had not observed any visibly oiled wildlife. Crews continued assessing the area Monday.
“An investigation is ongoing as to the type and quantity of oil product discharged due to the water pipe rupture,” the Office of Spill Prevention and Response said Sunday evening in a social media post. “A cleanup contractor was hired, and a containment boom was deployed across the river.”
The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. at the plant’s penstock, a 14-foot-diameter, high-pressure pipe that carries water about five miles from New Bullards Bar Dam to the powerhouse along the Yuba River, according to the Yuba Water Agency, which operates the reservoir and powerhouse.
Officials said the 14-foot-diameter pipe burst during testing of a new protective valve. Contractors had been upgrading the penstock and tunnel since September.
All personnel were accounted for, including one worker who was rescued by a Cal Fire helicopter crew Friday and hospitalized. The Yuba Water Agency said it was focusing on securing the site and responding to potential environmental impacts along the North and Middle Yuba rivers.
“We are coordinating with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to address the potential harm of any materials that ended up in the river because of the incident,” Willie Whittlesey, Yuba Water general manager, said in a news release Sunday. “We are now actively trying to remove debris, including the natural materials like woody debris, from the affected areas of Englebright Reservoir. Water quality testing is also underway across the watershed.”
Yuba Water officials were continuing to investigate the cause of the penstock rupture Friday. They urged the public to stay away from the site and out of the Yuba River between the New Colgate Powerhouse and Englebright Lake while crews worked to contain debris.
The agency said it also was coordinating with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies to assess the impact of the rupture on the lower Yuba River, including the effect of temporary flow changes on aquatic species.
“While this unprecedented event poses unique challenges, protection of the Yuba River remains one of our top priorities, both in the immediate response to this incident and moving forward,” Whittlesey said in the news release.
Yuba Water officials said crews had removed large debris from the river and shoreline and had completed an updated LiDAR survey of the hillside around the New Colgate Powerhouse. Officials said the results would be compared with previous surveys and analyzed to better understand the impact of Friday’s incident.
