Norfolk Southern Corp. has spent more than $2 million to clean
up and restore a trout stream and land surrounding the tracks where
a train derailed June 30, spilling sodium hydroxide.
A remedial investigation report was submitted Monday to the
Department of Environmental Protection detailing the actions the
company has taken to date and the conclusions reached after
studying the site.
One such conclusion is that the stream is returning to
normal.
“Since the derailment occurred, we have been working very hard
to help streams in the affected area return to normal as quickly as
possible. We will continue these efforts until our cleanup work is
completed,” Chuck Wehrmeister, the railroad’s chief environmental
officer, said in a statement.
Ecological function has returned to the Driftwood Branch and the
Portage Creek, so much so that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission stocked the streams with fish prior to the opening of
the 2007 trout season April 14.
And Norfolk Southern has indicated it is willing to help pay for
future fish stocking in McKean and Cameron counties. It was not
known on Monday to what extent that would imply.
“The specifics on any stocking efforts that NS participates in
will be decided in large part by the PA Fish & Boat
Commission,” said Rudy Husband, spokesperson for Norfolk Southern.
Fish and Boat Commission spokesperson Dan Tredinnick did not
immediately return a call seeking comment.
“Since last summer, to show our commitment to the area, we have
been trying to identify community enhancement projects in Cameron
and McKean counties,” Husband said. In fact, Norfolk Southern made
a donation to the Cameron County Conservation District to help
address acid mine drainage in Sterling Run – which is not related
to the derailment in any way.
“We also are reaching out to the community to help us identify
programs and projects that highlight the natural resources of the
region and enhance recreational opportunities for residents of and
visitors to McKean and Cameron counties,” Wehrmeister said.
Meanwhile, studies of the site have shown there is no current
human health risk.
“Soil ingestion and direct contact do not pose a potential human
health risk because impacted soils were excavated and replaced with
clean fill,” reads the investigation report. More than 4,170 cubic
yards of material containing sodium hydroxide have been removed
from the sides of the track and replaced.
Surface water at the site now meets Water Quality Standards.
“Ingestion of groundwater is not a current human health risk
because there is no current or future anticipated use of
groundwater within the impacted area,” the report reads. The impact
to groundwater was limited because of an underlying layer of clay,
which kept the sodium hydroxide from soaking into the ground too
deeply.
While tests show the concentration of dissolved metals in the
groundwater discharge will not adversely impact the surface water
of Portage Creek, Norfolk Southern has proposed provisions for
periodic monitoring of the site after remediation to ensure the
groundwater is not used for drinking purposes, according to the
report.
Norfolk Southern also explained that studies of aquatic
invertebrates in Portage Creek demonstrate that the “stream has
recovered sufficiently to attain EV (Exceptional Value) and CWF
(Cold Water Fishes) protected use within the designated stream
reaches.”
Wetlands restoration in Bill Fill Hollow is awaiting additional
permits from the DEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
To date, the train’s engineer, Michael Seifert, 45, of Buffalo,
N.Y., is awaiting trial on charges alleging that he was operating
the train while under the influence of drugs while the train was
traveling downhill at 77 mph in a 15 mph zone when the train
derailed, spilling about 42,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide near
the Village of Gardeau.
