DOON, Iowa (AP) — An estimated 230,000 gallons (870,619 liters) of crude oil spilled into floodwaters in the northwestern corner of Iowa following a train derailment, a railroad official said Saturday.
BNSF spokesman Andy Williams said 14 of 32 oil tanker cars just south of Doon in Lyon County leaked oil into surrounding floodwaters from the swollen Little Rock River. Williams had earlier said 33 oil cars had derailed.
Nearly half the spill — an estimated 100,000 gallons (378,530 liters) — had been contained with booms near the derailment site and an additional boom placed approximately 5 miles (8.05 kilometers) downstream, Williams said. Skimmers and vacuum trucks were being used to remove the oil. Crews will then use equipment to separate the oil from the water.
“In addition to focusing on the environmental recovery, ongoing monitoring is occurring for any potential conditions that could impact workers and the community and so far have found no levels of concern,” Williams said.
Officials still hadn’t determined the cause of Friday morning’s derailment, but a disaster proclamation issued by Gov. Kim Reynolds for Lyon and three other counties placed the blame on rain-fueled flooding. Reynolds visited the derailment site Saturday afternoon as part of a tour of areas hit by recent flooding.
Some officials have speculated that floodwaters eroded soil beneath the train track. The nearby Little Rock River rose rapidly after heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday.
A major part of the cleanup work includes building a temporary road parallel to the tracks to allow in cranes that can remove the derailed and partially-submerged oil cars. Williams said officials hoped to reach the cars Saturday.
The train was carrying tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to Stroud, Oklahoma, for ConocoPhillips. ConocoPhillips spokesman Daren Beaudo said each tanker can hold more than 25,000 gallons (20,817 imperial gallons) of oil.
Beaudo said Saturday that the derailed oil cars were a model known as DOT117Rs, indicating they were newer or had been retrofitted to be safer and help prevent leaks in the event of an accident.
The derailment also caused concern downstream, including as far south as Omaha, Nebraska, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from the derailment site. The spill reached the Rock River, which joins the Big Sioux River before merging into the Missouri River at Sioux City.
Omaha’s public water utility — Metropolitan Utilities District — said it was monitoring pumps it uses to pull drinking water from the Missouri River.
Rock Valley, Iowa, just southwest of the derailment, shut off its water wells within hours of the accident. It plans to drain and clean its wells and use a rural water system until testing shows its water is safe.
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For the latest information about the derailment: https://bit.ly/2K1wIAZ
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This story has been corrected to show that 32 oil tanker cars derailed, not 33.
Don’t worry Iowa, the Trump Reality Regime Show most of you voted for is on this. Everything should be sorted out in no time.
the derailed oil cars were a model known as DOT117Rs, indicating they were newer or had been retrofitted to be safer and help prevent leaks in the event of an accident.
I guess they should have done better?
Fucking tar sand oil, how ugly.
Surely we can trust national and local government figures to at least make sure something fundamental like drinking water is safe.
Chillax, I-O-Way! Chuckles Grassley and Bread-Bags Ernst will get Scott Pruitt to clean it all up. While you’re waiting for that to happen (BWAHAHA!), just slather your corn with the toxic sludge instead of using butter or margarine.
Or maybe just use that extra $1.50 you got from the GOP tax-cut you wanted so fucking badly and buy yourself some bottled water. You’re gonna need it , motherfuckers. Remember, you voted to put Republicans in your state offices. But if your water systems get polluted I am sure your GOP masters will gladly piss in your mouth to quench any thirst you have.
Quick, someone call Scott Pruitt on the Batphone in his Super Soundproof Phone Booth. Do Not email - he doesn’t do emails (at least not on email servers or addresses that anyone but top industry officials are privileged to know). He will send a crack team of oil and coal industry lobbyists who are experts at environmental disaster, damage and cleanup … well, avoiding too much cleaning up or having the responsible companies pay for it. We are sorry to say, all of the real experts have left the EPA or have been sacked for insufficient loyalty.