JAMESTOWN – It took moments for 29 Canadian Pacific Railway cars in Kansas City to derail on the Fifth of July near Bordulac, North Dakota.
According to Andrew Kirking, emergency director for Stutsman and Foster counties, it will take most of the summer to clear the area of all hazardous materials carried in cars and remove debris from the site.
“This could be my total summer,” he said. “We will play a role in this in the coming months. »
CPKC has a timeline for completing the cleanup “but is committed to absolutely restoring the facilities,” according to Terry Cunha, a railroad spokesman.
The process is unfolding in stages, according to Bill Suess, head of the spill investigation program at the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.
“It took a while for the NTBS (National Transportation Safety Board) to give its approval to move the cars,” Suess said. “Now we empty the wagons of anhydrous. “
The NTBS demanded that the wreckage remain strapped to a desk while it conducted its investigation into the cause of the derailment. An NTSB spokesperson said on July 7 that an initial report was expected in 30 days.
The materials classified as hazardous in the derailment were anhydrous ammonia, methanol and plastic pellets, he said.
Plastic pellets are used in the manufacture of plastic products such as water bottles. Methanol is a form of alcohol that is used as a solvent and in some pesticides.
“Methanol is soft and burns cleanly,” Suess said. “Anhydrous ammonia is the biggest concern. “
Anhydrous ammonia is used as an agricultural fertilizer. It can be destructive in the form of vapor and also contaminate water, Suess said.
The Jamestown Sun reported that Kirking said on July 7, as crews worked to clear the cars of hazardous materials, that air monitors detected low levels of anhydrous ammonia in the air after a car began venting upon being removed from the place of the derailment. Kirking said that as a precaution, local emergency officials issued a shelter-in-place notice for citizens near the derailment site. Air tracking degrees in and around the site returned to 0 that morning and the shelter-in-place advisory was lifted.
Suess said there is a small rainy domain near the site of the derailment. Authorities built berms to prevent water from the site from reaching near Lake George and to prevent more rain runoff from reaching the stormlands.
Suess said the cars will be removed from the facility once they are completely empty, perhaps within the next two weeks.
At that time, water and soil samples will be tested for methanol and anhydrous ammonia contamination and cleanup plans will be developed.
“It’s going to be an ongoing cleanup for a while,” Kirking said.
Kirking said one of the final steps will be to inspect local roads in the area of the derailment to determine if traffic damage occurred during the investigation and cleanup process.
Kirking and Suess stated that the reaction to the derailment went as planned.
“We’ve gained a wonderful local reaction from local first responders,” Kirking said. “In 4 to six hours, we beat Canadian Pacific. “
Kirking said emergency control groups exercise to deal with dangerous spills.
“This is what we plan and pray that it never happens,” he said. “I expect this to happen rarely. Part of preparation is knowing what to do in those situations.
In that situation, things went as planned, Suess said.
“There are no surprises for now,” he said. We had contingency plans to evacuate the city, but it wasn’t necessary. We had several contingency plans depending on the evolution of the situation.
Suess said it’s not unusual for dangerous fabrics to be transported through North Dakota.
“These types of fabrics are commonly moved,” he said. We have good enough plans to deal with this kind of incident. “
Kirking said emergency officials are not informed about the transportation of hazardous materials.
“With the magnitude of rail traffic, it would be an overload,” he said. “Part of preparation is knowing what to do in those situations. “