EMPORIUM – The cleanup and assessment of any environmental
damage done following Friday’s derailment of 31 cars of a Norfolk
Southern train in Gardeau at the southern end of McKean County
continued through the weekend.
On Friday, the condition of a tank car,ðfilled with chlorine and
on its side, caused the evacuation of about 50 residents who live
downstream for the accident site.
Rudy Husband, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern,
said Saturdayðafternoon, “It is the plan to have that tank car
removed by tonight.ðThe crews will work until 11 p.m. and begin
again early Sunday morning. Hopefully, the cleanup can be finished
by Monday. However, the tracks will have to be inspected before
they can be used again.”
Charles Ricards of Gardeau gave permission to have a road and
overflow pond built on hisðfarmland about a mile downstream from
the accidentðscene.ðA section of the Portage branch of the
Sinnemahoning Creek runs through his pastureland.ð
George Brown Excavating of Emporium built a road about 150 feet
long to the area where an overflow pond, approximately four-to-five
feet deep and equipped with six pipes,ðwas built. Construction of
the road and pond began about 3 p.m. on Friday and was finished on
Saturday.
For his part, McKean County Emergency Management Agency Deputy
Director Bruce Manning explained that since the sodium hydroxide,
the chemical that leaked into the creek, is water soluble and
heavier than water, some of the chemical in the creek will
dissolve, while some will settle to the bottom of the pond.
“The remainder will dissolve eventually,” Manning noted. “We
need a good rain to help speed up that process.”
Personnel from the Center for Toxicology and Environmental
Health of Little Rock, Ark., Dr. Paul Nony, project toxicologist
and manager of toxicology, and Dilajla Radic, an environmental
scientist, measured the pH levels of the stream water while in the
pond as well as coming out of the pond.
According to Nony, “We also took samples from various locations
along the creek to have as comprehensive sampling as we possibly
can.” The results will be shared with the state Department of
Environmental Protection and another state agency.
Norfolk Southern also sent its environmental division employees
to the scene.ðRich Russell of Roanoke, Va.,ðassistant director of
environmental protection for the railroad, said “Our job is to
oversee the environment aspects of the cleanup and handle the safe
removal of hazardous materials.”
Also on site Saturdayðwas Gordon Buckley of the DEP office in
Meadville, who checked the overflow pond among other duties.
A wetlands and waterways biologist, Buckley said, “We are to
make sure that the site stabilization and cleanup are proceeding in
the proper manner.”
When contacted Sunday morning, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission Waterways Conservation Officer Pete Mader said his
agency planned to continue its investigationðon Sunday.
