The railroad line that runs through the Peninsula has reopened after an Oct. 25 derailment in New Kent County, but the cleanup continues.
Two locomotives and 53 train cars derailed near Providence Forge on a portion of track that crossed the Chickahominy River near where the river connects to other wetlands, spilling coal and diesel fuel into an area spanning as much as 5 acres. As of Nov. 21, CSX Transportation and their contractors have removed the locomotives and scrapped 47 of the damaged train cars, resulting in about 630 tons of metal to be recycled, though some small pieces are being removed as they are discovered, according to DEQ.
About 4,230 tons of coal were spilled and 7,257 tons of coal and soil have been removed from the environment, meaning the “bulk” of the removal process is complete, a state Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson said. Of the roughly 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel that was spilled, 5,600 gallons of diesel fuel/water mixture has been recovered and sent for treatment and disposal, along with 11 tons of petroleum-contaminated absorbents and 72.5 tons of coal and soil.
The spill did not impact any infrastructure or farmland that would put human health at risk, according to DEQ. The area of the derailment is in the top 3.5% of Virginia land for ecological core value, according to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the portion of the Chickahominy River downstream from the site includes conserved lands that serve as a refuge for mussels and underwater grasses, as well as nursery habitats for native species that include threatened migratory fish.
DEQ documented the deaths of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and insects as a result of low dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water following the spill of diesel fuel. Microorganisms in the water use oxygen to break down hydrocarbons in the diesel fuel, causing there to be less oxygen in the water to sustain wildlife, the spokesperson explained.
“To address the low oxygen, CSXT and its contractors temporarily installed an aerator to increase the oxygen levels in this area; this largely mitigated wildlife impacts,” a DEQ spokesperson said in an email. “Since the aerator has been removed, no additional wildlife mortalities have been observed.”
CSX has submitted a corrective action plan, which is under review by DEQ. The plan includes removing petroleum-impacted soils, planting native trees, and seeding exposed soils with a native seed mix appropriate for the region, according to DEQ. Once these steps have been implemented, CSX and its consultants will monitor the area for the next couple of years.
DEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency conducted daily oversight of the cleanup process through Nov. 20. Their scrutiny included inspecting the wetlands, containment measures, areas where coal has been removed, and storage areas, along with daily coordination calls between DEQ, the EPA, CSX and its contractor, according to DEQ.
The derailment shut down train traffic between the Peninsula and Richmond for about nine days. Amtrak resumed passenger rail service on Nov. 3, and freight traffic resumed Nov. 5.
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com
