“It takes education, tips from the public, response and enforcement, to protect California’s valued and precious natural resources. We are grateful to our members at CDFW who work daily to be sure we are all doing right by our fish, wildlife, and environment, so that California stays healthy, safe, and vibrant.”
– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
COLUSA COUNTY – On January 13, 2026, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) announced that a pollution case, stemming from a spill response by OSPR and then investigated by CDFW’s Law Enforcement Division, has been settled by the Colusa County District Attorney’s Office.
Vann Brothers, a large agri-business firm specializing primarily in almond cultivation and processing, has agreed to pay a $95,000 penalty for its role in a January 2024 red-dyed diesel spill that impacted Salt Creek.
The incident took place after a Vann Brothers employee was filling a small tank of red-dyed diesel from a 10,000-gallon tank at a company field yard in the almond orchards outside of Williams. The employee was called to assist with something else and did not turn off the flow, which led to 1,400 gallons being spilled onto the ground. Rather than contain the spill and clean it up as required by law, the employee and two others used push brooms and a water hose to push and spray the product into a ditch at the edge of the facility.
The red-dyed diesel flowed into a larger ditch that ran along a local road and ultimately entered into Salt Creek, a stream flowing from the eastern edge of Coast Ranges to the Sacramento River, via the town of Williams and the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. There is no evidence that the product flowed into the Refuge. Fortunately, there was no rain at the time, and a neighbor saw it in the ditch early the next morning and reported it, triggering a response by OSPR and other agencies.
The employee who caused the spill reportedly attempted to hide the incident and did not notify management. Consequently, Vann Brothers only properly responded to the spill upon being questioned by the Sheriff’s Office. To its credit, Vann Brothers cooperated and responded diligently once this occurred, and all affected soil was timely removed.
The employee pled guilty to a misdemeanor Fish and Game Code violation and through the terms of his plea agreement will pay a $4,185.00 fine and serve one year of probation.
Colusa County District Attorney Matthew Beauchamp said water pollution is an issue his office takes seriously, especially considering the fish, waterfowl, and wetland resources in Colusa County.
“While it was upsetting that this incident occurred and risked significant pollution to Salt Creek and possibly the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge downstream, once Vann Brothers management was alerted to the issue, they thoroughly cleaned the site and implemented construction and policy changes to ensure that something like this will not happen again,” he said.
OSPR remains committed to protecting our state’s pristine fish and wildlife habitat from spills, and has resources positioned statewide to respond quickly to these types of incidents.
“With this case, the bottom line is that environmental damage was limited because it was reported in a timely manner,” said Assistant Chief Josh Nicholas, CDFW Law Enforcement Division. “We encourage anyone who sees something potential impacting our waterways to report it immediately.”
A specialized enforcement unit within CDFW Law Enforcement dedicated to OSPR conducts criminal investigations based on evidence obtained during response efforts. You can report illegal pollution activity, poaching and other wildlife crimes to CalTIP at 1-888-334-2258 or through TIP411 app.
