The cleanup from the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train
derailment in southern McKean County is moving forward, with nearly
150 truckloads of contaminated soil being removed and shipped to
nearby landfills.
On Thursday, the state Department of Environmental Protection
issued another permit to the railroad which allows for additional
cleanup activities on the west side of the railroad tracks, located
near Gardeau in Norwich Township.
A Norfolk Southern train carrying 31 cars derailed at the site
at Big Fill Run, spilling more than 42,000 gallons of caustic lye
into the nearby pristine Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek, damaging 11
miles of it and killing scores of trout and other aquatic
wildlife.
The effects of the spill were so grand, the impact was felt
nearly 30 miles downstream in neighboring Cameron County. The spill
affected fishery resources in the Driftwood Branch of Sinnemahoning
Creek. In October, the DEP slapped the railroad with a $8.89
million fine for the environmental damage inflicted by the spill,
among other costs associated with the cleanup effort.
“The sooner the contaminated soil can be removed, the sooner the
seepage of contamination into the stream can be stopped and the
impacted waterways and wetlands can be fully restored,” DEP
Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch said.
Officials said work completed this week was authorized under a
permit the Department of Environmental Protection issued in
November for the excavation of contaminated soils.
“The cleanup area was limited to the actual derailment site on
the east side of the Norfolk Southern tracks, and work went very
quickly because the weather cooperated,” Burch said.
All excavated material, which has weighed some 3,000 tons, is
being disposed at a permitted landfill, including some at the Kness
Landfill in Mount Jewett and the Veolia Greentree Landfill in
Kersey, Elk County.
Officials said as part of the recovery effort, a stakeholder
group is being established to design regional restoration projects
to be funded by civil penalties imposed against Norfolk Southern as
a result of the spill.
“We are pleased that part of the penalties will be used to
benefit the local waterways that were devastated by this incident,”
Cameron County Conservation District Manager Jan Hampton said,
adding the natural resources of the area are important to residents
and “vital to the many businesses that cater to visitors who come
here to enjoy the outdoors.”
A number of community and government leaders attended a meeting
to discuss what form the stakeholder group will take and how it
will operate.
The participants reached a consensus that the stakeholder group
should be governed by a nine-member board made up of voting
representatives from DEP, the Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission,
McKean and Cameron county governments, McKean and Cameron county
conservation districts and two public seats. DEP representatives
chair the group.
Norfolk Southern contractors and DEP staff have collected
samples from private water wells in the vicinity of the derailment
site to determine if the spill has impacted water supplies. Based
on the information from that sampling, it does not appear that the
wells have been impacted.
“Some residents continue to be concerned about their water
supplies,” McKean County Conservation District Manager Sandra
Thompson said. “We want them to know that the McKean County
Conservation District is available to provide guidance regarding
any questions or the need for additional sampling.”
Residents with concerns should contact the district office in
Smethport.
On Sept. 22, DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty visited Emporium
and issued an order to Norfolk Southern setting legally binding
milestones and objectives to ensure the company cleans up the
ground contamination and fully restores the area to pre-spill
conditions.
