|
Train spills rosin in Clifton Forge
By Mike Bollinger • Staff Writer
CLIFTON FORGE — A train derailed early Friday morning, Sept. 19 in the CSX rail yard, sparking brief fear of a hazardous materials spill before it was determined the cars were carrying non-hazardous rosin.
Town manager Tracey Shiflett said the Clifton Forge Fire Department, Clifton Forge Rescue Squad, Selma Fire Department and Covington Fire Department hazardous materials trailer were initially dispatched to the scene for a report of a derailment with a suspected hazardous substance leaking from a tank car.
When emergency crews arrived, they identified the substance as rosin, avoiding the evacuation of nearby neighborhoods, Shiflett said. No one was injured in the incident, which is believed to have been caused when two tank cars were struck by another rail car. One tank car was punctured, and the other was scraped.
The spill was confined to CSX property and an adjacent waterway, Dry Creek. CSX emergency response personnel called in a professional cleanup crew to assess the scene and clean up the rosin. Shiflett said the cleanup has been substantially completed, however, the cleanup company was expected to remain on site the rest of the week to monitor it and to work to dispose of contaminated water and soil collected.
There are approximately 100,000 gallons of water to be disposed of, and Shiflett said the town would treat the water and charge the cleanup company the same rate the county is charged. The water will be trickled into the Clifton Forge system over the next several days, Shiflett said.
The accident halted train traffic at the CSX yard for a time, but trains were back running Monday, Shiflett said. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the derailment.
No residents were affected by the accident, Shiflett said.
| 
