Unified Command is beginning significant in-river work today

[WB Staff]

2/22/24 Update: The Unified Command is beginning significant in-river work today, due to a break in the weather, that will allow the final rail car and coal to be removed from the river without causing further impact. The work will continue through the week and utilize heavy equipment.
For safety purposes, the public should avoid the Middle Fork of Feather River between the Camp Layman Bridge and the Sloat Road Bridge. Signage has been placed to warn water enthusiasts, and a notification will be made once this safety advisory is lifted. We appreciate your cooperation and understand the inconvenience this may cause.
2/21/24
Update: A Unified Command, including representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) continue to work on site remediation following a Feb. 11 train derailment near Blairsden, California, in Plumas County, where 15 cars, called gondolas, carrying coal derailed near the Middle Fork of the Feather River. Efforts are ongoing to remove one remaining gondola from the river, and crews continue operations for on-land and in-water coal recovery, which have been impacted by adverse weather conditions. Rail operations resumed Feb. 13.
Steady progress has been made to collect the spilled coal. While most will be transported via rail for disposal, a small amount of truck traffic off Sloat Road is anticipated in the coming days to remove a small coal stockpile staged in that area.
There are no road closures related to site remediation at this time, but we encourage the public to take an alternative route if traveling in the area, if available, as you may come across trucks, equipment, and trailers near the work site. We apologize to pedestrians and motorists for the inconvenience and disruption this may cause.
There have been no observed impacts to fish or wildlife, monitoring will continue.