Interface Updates on Website Offer Testing Opportunities in Environmental Sphere
Monitoring and Tracking Environmental Data Following Moss Landing Battery Plant Fire
Moss Landing, CA - A new interactive data dashboard is now accessible to the public, allowing users to track environmental testing and monitoring results in response to the Vistra battery plant fire that occurred in January. The dashboard, which utilizes a Geographic Information System (GIS), compiles data from various agencies and organizations involved in the incident response, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Vistra's environmental consultant, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, and Monterey County's Environmental Health Bureau.
Users can find water and soil testing results, as well as screening data collected throughout the Moss Landing area since January 17, on the dashboard. The site will continue to be updated as additional testing results are analyzed, including those from the Community Sampling Plan. Due to the large volume of air monitoring data, the dashboard updates are being rolled out in phases, with some data already incorporated, and the remaining information added over time to ensure accuracy and completeness.
Departments and organizations from Santa Cruz County will contribute data, in addition to local grassroots community groups like Never Again Moss Landing. Monterey County staff worked closely with health experts to find data aimed at detecting potential health risks. The dashboard can display test results that meet or exceed certain health levels and notify users of newly discovered information.
Monitoring will continue during debris removal and site cleanup. Consequently, updates may not always be added immediately or on a regular schedule. The fire at the Vistra battery plant began on January 16, leading to the evacuation of around 1,200 people, smoke release, and toxic heavy metals, and kept Highway 1 closed for three days.
In related news, PG&E announced intentions to reactivate its Elkhorn Battery Storage Facility in Moss Landing by June 1, after turning it off in January in response to the Vistra battery fire. A single Tesla Megapack battery caught fire at PG&E's battery facility on September 20, 2022, prompting officials to close Highway 1 as a precaution. The fire was contained and did not spread to adjacent megapacks or equipment.
For more information and to access the full dashboard, visit www.mtyhd.org/MossLandingBatteryFireDashboard.
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- The dashboard, which includes data from various agencies and organizations, not only features information on water and soil testing results but also extends to health-and-wellness aspects, monitoring potential health risks as a part of environmental science.
- As the fire at the Vistra battery plant has brought climate-change implications and concerns about the safety of lithium-ion batteries, Therapies-and-treatments for battery-related health risks might be an important topic for ongoing environmental-science research, especially in the context of advanced renewable energy storage solutions like the Elkhorn Battery Storage Facility.
