Thousands of barrels of crude leaked into swollen floodwaters after a BNSF Railway train derailed in southern Lyon County in northwestern Iowa on Friday. The Iowa oil spill forced the evacuation of residents from neighbouring farms. Sioux City Journal photo by Tim Hynds.
About 5,476 barrels of Alberta crude leaked in Iowa oil spill
The cleanup is underway after a BNSF Railway train carrying Alberta crude derailed on Friday, spilling thousands of barrels of crude into swollen floodwaters in northwestern Iowa.
The Iowa oil spill occurred in southern Lyon County, south of the city of Doon, at about 4:30 a.m., Friday, June 22. No injuries were reported as a result of the derailment, according to BNSF spokesperson Amy McBeth.
The Sioux City Journal reports that the derailment and ensuing oil spill forced the evacuation of residents from nearby farms.
Andy Williams, BNSF spokesman told the Associated Press that 14 of 32 oil tanker cars leaked into floodwaters from the swollen Little Rock River following the derailment. Estimates are that approximately 870,619 litres, or about 5,476 barrels of oil were spilled into the floodwaters.
HAZMAT teams, environmental experts and BNSF teams arrived on the scene Friday. Workers used containment booms and skimmers to try to keep the crude from travelling downstream.
“We’re working to contain oil that spilled as close to the site as we can,” McBeth said.
Since Friday, hundreds of workers and volunteers have been sandbagging and constructing berms in an effort to protect homes on the west side of the nearby city of Rock Valley, Iowa.
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the derailment, however, local authorities believe floodwaters from the Little Rock River weakened the ground beneath the tracks.
According to the Sioux City Journal, standing water could be seen on both sides of the track Friday morning.
McBeth told the Sioux City Journal that she could not say how much crude the cars were carrying or how much leaked into the water.
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