On September 19, 2006, the National Response Center (NRC) notified EPA Region 6 (EPA) of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train derailment in a semi-rural area at the edge of the city of Crawford, McLennan County, Texas. According to BNSF representatives, 24 rail cars derailed including tank cars containing vinyl acetate, styrene monomers, tetrafluoroethane, and ethanolamine. The tank car containing ethanolamine was breached and approximately 22,000 gallons was released to the ground and nearby drainage ditch. A small vapor plume from the leaking tank car caused the evacuation of a one-half mile radius from approximately 1900 until 2200 when the air monitoring results by the City of Waco Hazmat team determined residents of the area could safetly return.
The Crawford Volunteer Fire Department responded immediately to the incident, and began to secure the scene. BNSF also mobilized its hazmat team and multiple contractors immediately to the site. OSC Delgado and the EPA Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (START) mobilized to the site to provide technical assistance and conduct on-scene air monitoring. Other agencies responding to the incident included the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and McLennan County Emergency Management.
The rail line reopened on Sept 20 at approximately 1930.
BNSF contractor, Conestoga-Rovers and Associates (CRA), continues to remediate the site. Currently, approximately 1,000 cubic yards of impacted soil and 300 cubic yards of debris have been removed. Approximately 22,000 gal of product/water mixture has been collected into a frac tank. 85 soil samples were collected. The
samples will be analyzed for MEA, DEA, TEA, pH, TPH, and BTEX.
Three railcars remain at the site. The railcars will be removed on Sept 29-Oct 1.
Further remediation will be contingent upon the sample results.
EPA will continue to follow remediation activities by coordinating with BNSF, BNSF contractors and TCEQ.
The initial threat to nearby residents from fire and the initial plume of contaminants in the air were the main concerns. However, no residents were reported to have been injured or sick from the plume. Product run-off from the breached tank car was also a concern, but a berm was constructed to prevent product from leaving the site.
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