BREAKING: Debris and Missing Wildlife in Nature Reserve After Vistra Battery Fire 

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Large black chunks, reminiscent of coal and prehistoric fossils, dot the landscape of Elkhorn Slough, a nature reserve in Monterey County. 

That’s what photos taken in January and February by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, obtained by Hunterbrook Media via a public records request, show. 

The Department said it’s “suspected to be ash and debris,” found at the nearby nature reserve after a January fire at the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing. Fish and Wildlife submitted the images to Monterey County’s Environmental Health Bureau, but they had never been released to the public. 

The Bureau also received an observational report from the Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District that details how aquatic life at Elkhorn Slough has changed since the fire. The report noted “a significant decline in typical aquatic organisms, such as dragonfly larvae, daphnia, and backswimmers,” according to the Bureau. “Field surveys conducted in late January and the week of February 20, 2025, indicated that aquatic ecosystems remained largely devoid of life” after the fire.

Director of Environmental Health Ric Encarnacion cited the images and the observational report, together with the surface wipe sampling conducted by local residents, in a March 13 letter to Vistra, asking the company to conduct additional soil testing inside and beyond the boundaries of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) soot model for the fire. The letter was recently published on the State Water Resources Control Board’s compliance database. 

“In consideration of these reports, sampling beyond the soot deposition boundary is necessary to fully assess the extent of environmental impact,” the letter states. 

The images and the observational report add another piece to the puzzle that county officials and local residents have been trying to put together since the fire to get a clearer picture of its potential health impacts. 

The evidence so far appears to be conflicting: Research scientists at San José State University’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories found unusually high heavy metals levels in marsh soil in Elkhorn Slough. Surface wipe samples taken by local residents also indicated elevated heavy metal concentrations close to the Vistra facility and even miles away. The Department of Toxic Substances Control, meanwhile, said that while its initial surface screenings near the facility had shown high levels of heavy metals at some testing sites, subsequent soil samples did not indicate elevated concentrations associated with the fire. A recent limited study conducted by the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources also found metal levels were “within normal ranges” in farm soil close to the facility. 

Local residents say they are still experiencing health impacts months after the fire and are looking for answers from Vistra and public officials. They have organized in the “Never Again Moss Landing” community response group and have been attending County meetings to demand additional testing and stricter oversight over Vistra’s facility. 

Brian Roeder, one of the leaders of the group, told Hunterbrook in an email that the fire initially ejected chunks of debris, which may be visible in the Fish and Wildlife photos. “But of greater concern are the estimated 3000+ tons of heavy metal nanoparticles which have been ingested by humans, animals, and aquatic life go to organs. Also concerning are the acids that were ingested and inhaled,” he wrote. The observational report documenting an absence of insects in Elkhorn Slough does not surprise him. “How can the food column not be impacted? Time will tell the story.”

Another new piece in the puzzle: Surface wipe sampling data gathered by Vistra’s third-party contractor CTEH at the Moss Landing facility, which has been made available on the company’s incident response website. Hunterbrook followed up several times with Vistra, after the company said at a press briefing in February that it would make this data public but then did not publish it for weeks.

The data shows that levels for heavy metals were elevated in some parts of Vistra’s property as well as at two adjacent private properties, one north of the facility and one near the Moss Landing harbor, during a first round of testing at the end of January. By the second round in February, the heavy metal levels were all below screening levels, according to CTEH. The company says it could not retest “at the private residence immediately north of the plant.” 

At a press conference in February, a Vistra representative said that the Moss Landing facility met OSHA work safety standards, citing the surface wipe sampling as well as air monitoring tests as evidence. Enhanced personal protective gear requirements for Vistra employees and visitors adopted after the fire had been removed based on CTEH’s findings, according to the spokesperson.

In its letter from March, the Environmental Health Bureau said state agencies had reviewed Vistra’s preliminary surface wipe test results — and decided the company needed to conduct additional sampling to determine potential environmental impacts.

Among other things, the Environmental Health Bureau required Vistra to test at, “Community Parks, Schools and Churches,” any areas where ash or debris were reported, and near houses and businesses close to the facility. All samples must be tested for a variety of metals, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lithium, asbestos, and PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals.” Vistra did not respond to a request for comment. 

The Bureau’s letter is an insight into the next round of community testing in Moss Landing, which was originally planned for mid- to late March, according to a timeline posted by Monterey County. At the County news briefing last Wednesday, Encarnacion said that the County is still refining the community sampling plan together with Vistra and coordinating state agencies. The results could be another step toward clarity around health impacts for the surrounding community. 

“This step is vital in helping us better understand any long-term implications in shaping our response actions moving forward,” Encarnacion said.

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