Yuba Water Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and environmental contractor Global Diving and Salvage conduct an on-water survey of Englebright Lake and the Yuba River on Thursday, March 5, 2026. Photo courtesy of Alex Boesch/Yuba Water Agency

YUBA COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Yuba Water Agency and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have completed cleanup operations on Englebright Lake following a Feb. 13 rupture of Yuba Water’s penstock pipe above New Colgate Powerhouse.

The cleanup effort lasted nearly three weeks and focused on containing and removing oily debris from the lake, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Crews installed debris and oil containment booms in the upper portion of the lake about a mile downstream of the New Colgate Powerhouse. Barges equipped with excavators and large bins collected debris from the water while smaller boats assisted crews removing material by hand.

In total, crews removed about 1,600 cubic yards of debris, filling approximately 80 large waste bins. Cleanup teams also recovered about 44 gallons of oil mixed with light petroleum materials from debris on the water. An additional 307 gallons of oil were recovered in intact barrels that did not leak into the lake.

“During our final on-water survey, we saw no visible oil or other hazardous debris on Englebright or upstream,” said Lt. Ryan Hanson of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response. “Our teams can also confirm that oily debris remained contained within the cleanup area and did not enter the lower Yuba River.”

Hanson said responders recovered a large percentage of the spilled material during the operation.

Yuba Water General Manager Willie Whittlesey said crews responded quickly to contain the spill.

“I’m really proud of our entire team for how quickly we responded to contain this oily debris and how efficiently we executed this cleanup,” Whittlesey said. “We were on the water with booms the morning after the incident and have been working in partnership with CDFW and our environmental contractors every day since.”

Whittlesey said the agency will now focus on determining the cause of the rupture and restoring operations at the powerhouse and surrounding facilities.

Water testing conducted in Englebright Lake and along the Yuba River has not detected polychlorinated biphenyls, petroleum hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds, according to officials. Baseline water quality measures such as turbidity, temperature, acidity and oxygen levels also remain normal.

Crews are expected to remove remaining containment booms and demobilize barges and equipment from the lake over the next several days.

Officials anticipate reopening boat ramp access at Englebright Lake by mid-March.