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Peer-Reviewed Study Finds Battery Fire Rained 55,000 Pounds of Metals on Elkhorn Slough

The peer-reviewed analysis links a thin surface layer in the slough to the January Moss Landing blaze, prompting continued cleanup, ongoing monitoring, formal investigations.

The fire rages at the Vistra battery storage plant in Moss Landing, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2025. 
A bystander watches the smoke and flames as the fire at the Vistra battery storage plant burns in Moss Landing, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2025. 
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Fire blazed Thursday night Jan. 17, 2025 at the Vistra power plant’s battery storage facility in Moss Landing in Northern Monterey County, closing Highway 1 and forcing the evacuation of 1,200 people. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Overview

  • The Scientific Reports paper from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories identifies nickel, cobalt and manganese deposited across Elkhorn Slough, with an estimated 55,000 pounds in the marsh study area.
  • Pre- and post-fire comparisons show a sharp nickel spike from 246 ppm in 2023 to 3,702 ppm shortly after the fire, followed by rapid declines after rain and tides.
  • The fallout formed a thin, patchy surface layer detected several kilometers downwind, with researchers noting much of the material likely moved into Monterey Bay or dispersed more widely.
  • The team estimates the marsh deposit represents roughly 2% of total battery-derived material released, an inference that carries uncertainty but suggests broader regional distribution.
  • EPA-led cleanup and battery removal continue as EPA and CPUC probe the cause; DTSC’s separate sampling reported no widespread exceedances, and researchers and EMBER partners are tracking potential bioaccumulation while resident lawsuits proceed.