County of Monterey
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2025 Moss Landing Vistra Power Plant Fire

Webpage updated 09/18/2025 02:06 PM

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Community Soil Sampling Results

Post Date:11/06/2025 12:33 PM

The Community Soil Sampling Plan at Moss Landing was designed to gather critical data for a human health risk assessment, helping determine whether additional sampling, actions, or mitigation measures are needed. Sampling was conducted by Terraphase Engineering under the oversight of the Monterey County Health Department Environmental Health Bureau (EHB) and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), with review and input from other state and regional partners.

Soil sampling took place between May 8 and June 20, 2025, at 27 locations in Moss Landing and surrounding North Monterey County, resulting in 108 individual samples. Analyses included metals associated with battery fires (aluminum, copper, cobalt, lead, lithium, manganese, nickel) as well as combustion byproducts (PAHs, dioxins, and furans). Terraphase summarized the sampling and results in a Soil Sampling Report dated August 22, 2025.

More information on the Moss Landing Testing and Monitoring Soil Page

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Stay Informed

To receive ongoing updates, residents are encouraged to register for alerts at Register | Portal Registration or visit Emergency | County of Monterey, CA. To check your zone, please visit Genasys Protect.

See Yellow Smoke?

Yellowish or brownish smoke can occur during turbine start-ups at the facility. When turbines start, emissions are temporarily higher than during steady operation—similar to starting a car engine. This is a normal, permitted part of facility operations. More information is available here

Concerns or Complaints?

You can submit a report to the Monterey County Health Department's Environmental Health Bureau online at http://www.mtyhd.org/mosslanding-concern-form or by leaving a voice message at 831-755-4505.