(Source: Environmental Protection Agency press release, March 9, 2015)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency response to the March 5 BNSF oil train derailment continues. U.S. EPA personnel are onsite overseeing response and environmental sampling and monitoring activities. U.S. EPA representatives are serving in the roles of Incident Commander and Operations Chief in the Unified Command that includes Jo Daviess County, Illinois EPA and BNSF Railway.
Highlights of today’s activities include:
• Trains resumed running on the BNSF tracks this morning. The fires have been extinguished and damaged cars have been moved to the side of the railroad right of way. Some of the cars contain residual crude oil.
• Results of water sampling show no oil constituents.
• Crude oil that pooled in the area where the derailment occurred is being removed by vacuum truck.
• Samples have been taken of soil in the area where oil spilled from damaged rail cars.
• Air monitoring continues near the spill site and in the community.
• U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman, Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director James K. Joseph, and Illinois EPA Emergency Operations Unit Manager Blaine Kinsley toured the site of the derailment and cleanup.
Click link above for photo gallery and additional updates.