900,000 litres of Alberta crude dumped into Iowa floodwater
Meteorologist
Sunday, June 24, 2018, 5:09 PM - Cleanup is underway in Iowa, where a train derailment has spilled nearly 900,000 litres of crude oil from Alberta into the rain-swollen Rock River. 32 tanker cars derailed early Friday morning, just south of Doon in northwest Iowa. 14 of the cars have been leaking oil since the accident, with officials estimating 871,000 litres of crude have seeped into floodwaters adjacent to the tracks.
According to the Associated Press, BNSF railroad spokesman Andy Williams said no one was injured in the derailment, and hazardous materials and environmental experts were on the scene within hours of the accident. Williams added that nearly half the spill had been contained with booms near the derailment site, with additional booms downstream, amid concerns that the oil may contaminate the water supply as far away as Omaha, Nebraska, some 240 km to the south.
Danger from the spill has been exacerbated by recent rainfall, which has caused the Rock River to overflow its banks along the route of the train tracks. The National Weather Service said the Rock River crested at 21.2 feet (roughly 6.5 m) Friday morning, and was expected to subside through the weekend. Flood stage is 16 feet (roughly 5 m).
According to the Associated Press, officials at the scene believed that the floodwaters were a factor in the derailment, but were unsure whether high water pushed cars off the track, damaged the track in some way, or played some other role. The Rock River, which is usually about 100 yards wide (about 91 m), is currently about half a mile (804 m) wide, according to Iowa Natural Resources Department spokesman Ken Hessenius.
Additional rainfall is expected over the region early this week.
Sources: CBC News | Des Moines Register |
