1.1.1 Incident Category

 Emergency Response

1.1.2 Site Description

On 9/22/16 at 0540, an eastbound BNSF train derailed approximately 2 miles north of Ferryville, WI.  Two locomotives and six rail cars derailed after the toe hold of a bridge crossing a backwater of the Mississippi River washed out due to extensive flooding after a rain event of approximately 10 inches.  Four cars carrying gypsum board, one tank car of ethanol residue, and one car of vegetable oil residue derailed.  Both tank cars survived the derailment intact.  However, the saddle tank of one of the locomotives ruptured and lost its contents of an estimated 1170 gallons of diesel to the ballast and the adjacent river.  All relevant notifications were made. 

1.1.2.1 Location

The derailment took place at railroad Mile Post 264.4 , approximately 2 miles north of Ferryville, Crawford County, Wisconsin. The area is a rural, sparsely populated, and adjacent to the Mississippi River. There is no roadway access to the derailment site, and a nearby path was used to gain access to the Site.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

Diesel was released from the locomotive car to the ballast, adjacent embankments, and the adjacent inundated floodplain of the Mississippi Rivers. Additionally, there are concerns that if the gypsum board was to be released to the water that water quality may be impacted in the surrounding area.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

A preliminary Site inspection was conducted by OSC Maguire the afternoon of September 22, 2016. It was initially determined that there was a potential release of up to 6000 gallons of diesel to the waterway, as each locomotive potentially contained up to 3000 gallons of diesel fuel. It was also assumed that a potential 500 gallons of residual ethanol from the one ethanol tank may have been released if the tank was compromised.  However, it was visually confirmed that and estimated 1170 gallons of spilled diesel impacted the adjacent inundated floodplain, the Mississippi River, ballast and adjacent embankments to the tracks.  The ethanol and vegetable oil tanks were intact and did not release any product.

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

BNSF activities include the following:

• Re-railing the derailed cars

• Removing any residual diesel fuel from the compromised saddle tank of the locomotive and any visual contamination on the track / ballast and waterway

• Downstream boom deployment and contingency boom deployment with boom monitoring

• Surface water sampling

• Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Techniques (SCAT)

• Flushing of impacted ballast

•  Repairing track and restarting train traffic

• Trains began moving on east main at 0015 on 9/24/16 and on west main at 0830 on 9/24/16

Current EPA/START activities include:

• Oversight of vacuum operations and re-railing operations

• Oversight of sampling and SCAT

• Oversight of flushing operations

• Split surface water samples with PRP

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

BNSF Railway accepted the responsibility for the release. OSC Maguire issued a Notice of Federal Interest to BNSF Railway on 3/22/ 2016. BNSF Railway is cooperating with EPA and other Agencies and is participating on the Unified Command for the IMT responding the incident.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

2.2.1 Anticipated Activities

SCAT has shown an unrecoverable light sheen at only 2 locations downstream of boom.  Given active recovery within boom and existence of sheen the following activities will continue for the next few days:

• Surface water sampling through 9/26/16
• Active boom maintenance through 9/26/16
• Removal of remaining gypsum board from floodplain on 9/26/16
• Daily reconnaissance and SCAT through 9/26/16
• Long term monitoring plan with WI DNR oversight to begin on 9/27/16

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities

Sampling and long term monitoring with WI DNR oversight. 

 
2.2.1.2 Next Steps

2.2.2 Issues

3.1 Unified Command

US EPA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, WI DNR, BNSF 

3.2 Cooperating Agencies

1 EPA

3 START

2 USFWS

2 WI DNR

75 BNSF and Contractors

BNSF Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway

FPN Federal Project Number

gal gallons

ICP Incident Command Post

NPDES National Pollution Discharge Elimination System

NPL National Priorities List

OPA Oil Pollution Act

OSC On Scene Coordinator

POLREP Pollution Report

PRP Potentially Responsible Party

START Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team

TDD Technical Direction Document

USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers

6.1 Internet location of additional information/report

 www.epaosc.org/bnsfferryville

6.2 Reporting Schedule