United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region VI
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Monday, June 28, 2004
From:
Scott Harris, Ph.D.


Subject: 

POLREP #1
Macdona Union Pacific Train Derailment
7900 Nelson Road, Macdona, TX
Latitude: 29.3264000
Longitude: -98.6911000


POLREP No.:
1
Site #:
06TF
Reporting Period:
06/28/2004
D.O. #:
Start Date:
 
Response Authority:
CERCLA
Mob Date:
6/28/2004
Response Type:
Emergency
Demob Date:
 
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
Incident Category:
Removal Assessment
CERCLIS ID #:
Contract #
RCRIS ID #:
 

Site Description

Approximately 5:05 am a Union Pacific train derailed and struck a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train causing a release from a 90-ton chlorine tanker car.  The site is SW of San Antonio in Macdona, Bexar County, Texas.

Wreckage is blocking the only access road to the adjacent residents.


Current Activities

Initial reports include an evacuation for the Del Rio Subdivision in Macdona, with a shelter-in-place in the surrounding area for those unable to evacuate.  The release is ongoing.

EPA Region 6 Regional Response Center is activated and currently providing support to the response FOSCs and START contractors.  Currently START is in the Unified Command and 3 START are monitoring for the release.  USEPA has charted a plane to expedite FOSCs Harris and Leos with five additional STARTs to provide air monitoring and to establish a perimeter of the plume with AreaRaes.  EPA has deployed the ASPECT Plane to respond to the scene and to assist in plume modeling and high resolution photodocumentation.  EPA has requested the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Strike Team to assist in the response.

Initial reports established that San Antonio FD HazMat has responded.  Personnel are reportedly being affected by heat and exertion.  Operational effectiveness may be a concern.  Union Pacific Railroad representatives are making entry and trying to establish the extent of the damage to the railcar.

Enry teams are forced to travel approximately 3/4 mile through the crash site to the trapped residents.  Heat stress, safety and air supply are major concerns.


Planned Removal Actions

Entry teams will attempt to plug the damaged car.

Rescue of some residents by chopper is underway.

Body recovery for initial victims.


Key Issues

Heat

Travel distance for entry teams

Safety

Rescue of trapped residents


Estimated Costs *
  Budgeted Total To Date Remaining % Remaining
Extramural Costs
Intramural Costs
 
Total Site Costs $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 0.00%

* The above accounting of expenditures is an estimate based on figures known to the OSC at the time this report was written. The OSC does not necessarily receive specific figures on final payments made to any contractor(s). Other financial data which the OSC must rely upon may not be entirely up-to-date. The cost accounting provided in this report does not necessarily represent an exact monetary figure which the government may include in any claim for cost recovery.


response.epa.gov/macdonatrainderailment

POLREP #1 Last Updated 1/3/2005