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Crews
rush to contain spill after CP derailment in Banff park sends train
cars into creek
27
December, 2014
Crews
were scrambling on Friday to clean up the scene of the latest train
derailment that spilled ash and grain into a Banff creek and caused
the water to become cloudy just upstream from the Bow River.
The
derailment on Canadian Pacific’s main line through Banff National
Park has reignited concerns about railway safety and the speeds at
which trains travel through sensitive habitats.
The
spilled ash and grain each pose their own potential problems for
wildlife, one that could lower acidity levels for aquatic life,
another that could attract bears to unsafe territory.
Parks
Canada doesn’t expect any long-term impacts on the local
environment, though its officials planned to continue monitoring
water quality.
Fifteen
Canadian Pacific cars loaded with lentils and fly ash — a component
of cement and a byproduct of coal-fired plants — fell off the
tracks on a bridge crossing over 40 Mile Creek near Banff townsite at
2 a.m. Friday.
Seven
rail cars fell into the creek spilling some of their contents, which
turned the water into a murky colour, though it doesn’t appear to
be affecting the Bow River, which is about 200 metres downstream.
“The
bridge is a wreck,” said John Cottreau, a spokesman for the
Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash.
Alberta
Environment, which has dispatched crews to the scene to help make
sure the site is properly cleaned, said its greatest concern is the
fly ash, which can create sedimentation problems and decrease acidity
levels.
The
impact that the spill will have on fish in 40 Mile Creek will depend
on the amount of ash that was spilled, which has not yet been
determined,
spokeswoman Katrina Bluetchen said.
“This
is still an evolving situation.”
Crews
planned to install a temporary dam on the creek to prevent the
ash and grains from flowing into the nearby river, said
Dave McDonough, of Parks Canada.
Government
officials are monitoring water quality downstream of the derailment,
including the Bow River, to check for changes in acidity levels,
among other indicators. So far, pH levels are normal, McDonough said.
Canadian
Pacific said 22 to 27 trains travel through the affected area in a 24
hour period, sometimes carrying petroleum products and other
dangerous materials, but that the frequency of these shipments
changes over time.
Authorities
from several agencies were at the scene to aid in the cleanup and
investigation into the cause, which will also uncover the speed
at which the train was travelling.
Ahead
of these reports, an Alberta conservationist suggested it may be time
to insist that train speeds through the national park and other
sensitive habitats be “seriously reduced.”
“Perhaps
a slower speed would not stop the derailments, but it would certainly
change the nature of them,” said Colleen Campbell, of the Bow
Valley Naturalists.
“It’s
like a slow-speed crash between cars (which) does a lot less damage
to vehicles and people compared to a high-speed crash.”
Spilled
grain is often a concern in forested areas because it can
attract bears to areas that are not safe, but the vast majority of
bears are hibernating, which means “it’s not a major concern,”
McDonough said.
But
Campbell, who was involved in a study on the impact of grain
spillage on wildlife, said it can be difficult to remove every
seed and crumb.
“It’s
OK now; the bears technically should all be asleep … but if it’s
not all cleaned up, and it’s almost impossible, then it does
ultimately become an attractant,” she said.
There
is also a concern that fly ash, when airborne, can be a respiratory
irritant. As cleanup at the site continues, officials are working to
ensure the material is moist to prevent any hazards to crews and
spectators, McDonough said.
“We’re
certainly on top of it (the derailment), and we’re actively working
with CP and the Town of Banff to mitigate any potential impacts,”
he said.
“We
will be monitoring it longer term as well. But we don’t anticipate
any long-term effects to the environment from there.”
The
Transportation Safety Board said its crews were gathering information
to determine whether they need to launch an in-depth investigation.
CP
Rail reported its crews had been dispatched to the scene to
evaluate the incident and consult with Parks Canada “on all
environmental matters.”
“CP’s
emergency protocols were immediately enacted and all safety
precautions and measures are being taken as our crews respond to the
situation with local officials,” the company said in a statement.
Work
is underway to clean up the mess of rail cars and spilled materials,
but there was no word on how long it would take.
The
company said it had some re-routing options in place, but that it was
also working to remove the rail cars and prepare the site for the
installation of a temporary bridge.
“We’re
working with Parks Canada and people on the scene to assess the
situation and get things cleaned up and operational again,” said
Jeremy Berry, a spokesman for the railway.
TSB
deploys a team to the site of a derailment involving a CP freight
train near Banff, AB
http://
ow.ly/GrIHR
http://
ow.ly/GrIHR
It
follows a long series of derailments, including the deadly
Lac-Megantic crash, that TSB chair Wendy Tadros says have led to a
“heightened fear over rail safety.”
“There
has been an erosion of public trust, and Canadians require
reassurance that action is being taken, that risks are being properly
identified and mitigated, and that future movements will be
safe,” Tadros wrote in a newspaper op-ed in October.
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