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Canadian Pacific Brownsville Derailment

 
Site Contact:
David Morrison
OSC

(morrison.david@epa.gov)

Site Location:
Highway 26 S.4 miles south of
Brownsville, MN
Brownsville, MN 55919
 response.epa.gov/CPBrownsvilleDerailment
NRC#: 1139057

A train derailment occurred at approximately 2230 hrs on January 26, 2016, 4 miles south of Brownsville, MN, at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.. A total of 15 cars were derailed.

Six cars of vegetable oil went through the ice into the Mississippi River. Two of the cars were found to be leaking. Three cars containing sodium chlorate and a grain car remained on the embankment.

Local Police, Fire Departments, EMA, USFWS, USCG, FRA, MDNR,WDNR,, and MPCA responded to the scene. USCG was the first Federal respond on scene, and transitioned with EPA OSC Morrison and departed the scene.


East. Two of the derailed cars containing vegetable oil, partially submerged in the Mississippi River. North/Northeast. Derailed cars containing grain, sodium chlorate (cars with yellow railing), or vegetable oil (black tanker cars in foreground). East/Southeast. Water operations and plywood dam/soft boom set up for a vegetable oil collection point. Transfer of vegetable oil from damaged rail cars to new cars Water sample results from 1-27-16
For additional information, visit the Pollution/Situation Report (Pol/Sitreps) section.