LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As recently as Sept. 19, there was a minor derailment at Norfolk Southern’s K-Yard of two cars carrying the toxic chemical 1,3-butadiene, according to records from the Metropolitan Sewer District, which administers the Louisville-Jefferson County hazardous materials ordinance, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
While neither of the derailed cars leaked, company officials at the scene discovered a third car of butadiene with a minor vapor leak that was quickly sealed, said Susan Bland, spokeswoman for the railroad.
She said she was not sure how long the third car had been leaking.
Local authorities at the time expressed concern because Norfolk Southern did not immediately report the incident to 911 dispatchers, according to the MSD records. Patrick Fitzgerald, industrial waste department field operations administrator for MSD, said that didn’t happen because no one could determine whether enough material had leaked to require it.
Bland said the railroad company reported the incident to federal officials.
Also, a derailment on Dec. 12, 1996, between Bells Lane and Algonquin Parkway, just outside the K-Yard, punched a hole in a styrene tank car, spilling about 5,000 gallons into a drainage ditch. The chemical is not considered as toxic as some materials that were on other derailed cars, including chlorine and butadiene.
And on May 5, 1994, a leaking rail car of calcium carbide at the Norfolk Southern rail yard in Portland prompted officials to tell neighbors, including 600 students at Atkinson Elementary School about four blocks away, to stay inside and close their windows and doors.
Calcium carbide powder settled on the ground, ignited, and produced acetylene gas, according to MSD records.