Train carrying soybean oil, phenol, other hazardous chemicals, and various cargo derailed near The Dalles, OR 2003.
By Susan Hess, June 6, 2016. On Thursday night, January 9, 2003, a track split under a Union Pacific freight train just west of The Dalles. Fifty of the train’s 94 cars derailed. The cars carrying hazardous materials were the immediate concern. Miraculously none leaked. But four cars full of soybean oil leaked 12,000 gallons alongside the river. For wildlife oil is oil, it coats birds, mammals and plants, smothers fish, suffocates aquatic organisms and destroys wildlife’s food supplies and habitats.
Clean up took two months. At the time, state and federal officials said that despite the large derailment and damage, “We were lucky this time.” Luck is fickle.
Friday, June 4, 2016, a Union Pacific train derailed in Mosier, Oregon just 15 miles west of the 2003 derailment. This time all cars carried hazardous materials: Bakken crude oil. This time several caught fire, pouring black smoke into the atmosphere.
Fire from derailment in Mosier, June 2016, 15 miles west of the 2003 derailment
The elementary school was evacuated. The sewer treatment plant was heavily damaged. A short term fix today allowed? residents use showers, toilets, sinks. Monday night the boil water order was lifted.
Impact to fish and wildlife has not been evaluated thoroughly yet because access is limited according to Angie Wilson, City of Mosier. Because of extensive media coverage and limited access, EnviroGorge is not doing in depth reporting of this derailment.
EnviroGorge reported on oil transportation in the Gorge in April 2015, read that article here.
For updates on the current derailment in Mosier:
Washington Department of Ecology: Incident page
From WA DOE page: “Sampling is being conducted on the drinking water and residents are being asked to boil water until the sampling results are complete. Air monitoring continues to be conducted 24/7 and is currently in the healthy range. All oil has been removed from the damaged rail cars. Oil from the cars is being vacuumed out onto special tanker trucks and being transferred to The Dalles before going to is final destination in Tacoma. Thirteen rail cars remain on site, two have been fully pumped, or partially, the remaining 10 will be pumped as quickly as possible. Additionally, the damaged rail was repaired.”
State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
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- 2002 Derailment near The Dalles. Photo by US EPA
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- 2016 Derailment and Fire in Mosier. Photo by Jurgen Hess
It’s amazing how short are memories are. Great job in bringing up the other spill as further evidence that all oil trains should be banned.