River cleanup begins after Yuba pipe rupture. Expect cloudy water, officials say
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- Sediment removal work began weeks after the Feb. 13 penstock rupture.
- Cloudier water in North Yuba River is expected for the next few weeks.
- Yuba Water Agency will increase water quality amid cleanup.
For the next few weeks, water in the North Yuba River is expected to be cloudier after work began to remove sediments left over from the rupture of a penstock pipe near the New Colgate Powerhouse in February, the Yuba Water Agency said Wednesday.
Water below the powerhouse and potentially into Englebright Lake will be affected, the agency said in a post on social media. In response, Yuba Water will increase its water quality monitoring while the cleanup efforts continue, the post said.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this work, which is essential to safely restore our powerhouse operations and return the river channel to its normal capacity,” Yuba Water said in the post.
The pipe rupture occurred Feb. 13, when a 14-foot-diameter section of pipe failed above the New Colgate Powerhouse, Yuba Water Agency’s main hydroelectric facility south of Dobbins. According to Yuba Water, the rupture released an estimated 400 acre-feet of water down the hillside, causing erosion, damaging the powerhouse and sweeping debris into the river.
Five workers were rescued by helicopter, and one was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, authorities said.
Willie Whittlesey, Yuba Water general manager, said in February that the agency faces “between months to years” of recovery from the incident.
Yuba Water’s Colgate Powerhouse and Infrastructure Restoration Project includes various ongoing efforts like determining the cause of the rupture, stabilizing the hillside and restoring the powerhouse.
