Yuba Water wraps up Englebright Lake cleanup after pipeline rupture
Officials have finished cleanup and containment efforts at Englebright Lake following a 14-foot-diameter pipeline ruptured at the New Colgate Powerhouse, the Yuba Water Agency announced on Friday.
The weekslong effort concluded after last month’s rupture, which left hundreds — and possibly thousands — of young Chinook salmon stranded and dying in the lower Yuba River, with officials estimating it may take years to fully repair the damage.
“During our final on-water survey, we saw no visible oil or other hazardous debris on Englebright or upstream,” Lieutenant Ryan Hanson of California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s office of spill prevention and the response said, in a news release.
“Our teams can also confirm that oily debris remained contained within the cleanup area and did not enter the lower Yuba River.”
The rupture took place while the agency was finishing a major tunnel and penstock upgrade at its New Colgate Powerhouse, resulting in injuring one worker and officials scrambling to capture and cleanup oily debris that entered the north Yuba River and settled roughly a mile downstream near Englebright Lake’s mouth.
The rupture caused a power outage at the powerhouse, triggering an abrupt drop in releases from Englebright Dam and reducing flows in the lower Yuba River for about two hours. During that time, juvenile Chinook salmon were stranded along the riverbanks as water levels receded.
During officials’ first entry into the powerhouse after the rupture, they reported “extensive damage” to the facility but expressed cautious optimism, saying they had “feared worse.”
Meanwhile, the agency also continued to note optimism from water quality testing as they have not detected toxic and industrial chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls, petroleum hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds, and other chemicals linked to petroleum-based and industrial materials.
“With this aspect of the incident complete, we can put even more resources toward the investigation into what happened and the long-term recovery at our powerhouse and adjacent facilities,” Willie Whittlesey, Yuba Water’s general manager said.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal-OSHA, opened an investigation into the rupture in late February. State workplace safety inspectors have up to six months to complete the probe.
“We were and will continue to be transparent with their staff and will fully cooperate with their investigation,” Whittlesey said following the announcement on the investigation’s launch.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM.
