Elevated concentrations of heavy metals have been detected at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve by scientists following a recent fire at Vistra Moss Landing Power Plant and Energy Storage Facility.

Scientists have linked a lithium battery plant fire in California earlier this month to a surge in heavy metals found in nearby soil.

Less than two weeks after a huge fire in Moss Landing at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants, scientists affiliated with San Jose State University have discovered unusually high levels of toxic metals in soils at Elkhorn Slough,

The pumps, which move water south from California’s wetter northern region, are federally owned and operated. California officials said late Monday that they had been down for maintenance. They also said Trump did not send the military into the state to “turn on the water,” as Trump claimed in a social media post.

President Donald Trump claimed that the military entered California and turned on the water, but state water officials say the president's claim is false.