zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Beyond Cars
/
Another Train Derailment Is Destroying a Federally Protected River in West Virginia
Another Train Derailment Is Destroying a Federally Protected River in West Virginia-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:50

Image for article titled Another Train Derailment Is Destroying a Federally Protected River in West Virginia

Our , but this time disaster has struck in . A train on March 8 has resulted in an “unknown” amount of and oil spilling into a river. According to , that river just happens to be one of the oldest in North America, and it’s part of the National Park Service.

According to , the train in Sandstone, West Virginia after it “struck a rockslide” at about 4:51 a.m. on Wednesday. The crash caused all four of the train’s locomotives and nine empty coal trains to . There were three crew members onboard when the locomotive caught fire — a conductor, engineer and engineer trainee. CSX says that they were all “evaluated and treated for non-life threatening injuries.”

The company says that there is no danger to the public, as there weren’t any hazardous materials on the train. But CSX does admit it has no idea how much diesel fuel and oil spilled into the New River. It says that environmental measures are being deployed to deal with the contamination.

Image for article titled Another Train Derailment Is Destroying a Federally Protected River in West Virginia

This news comes on the same day that Norfolk Souther’s CEO is facing a senate hearing on railroad safety after the disastrous crash in East Palatine, Ohio, according to . Alan Shaw reportedly apologized during the hearing and promised to “make it right.”

CBS reports that West Virginia Emergency Management said downstream public water systems were notified of the situation and are currently monitoring for “potential public health impact.” West Virginia American Water has reportedly also been notified and is now monitoring water quality. The organization has temporarily stopped drawing water from the New River and it will “enhance its treatment process, as necessary.”

“Customers should see no impact to their service as a result of this action. The health and safety of our customers is a priority, and there are currently no drinking water advisories in place because of this incident,” American Water .

It added that if a drinking water advisory should become necessary, American Water will issue one.

CBS says that this whole thing could still have an impact on the environment despite the fact there weren’t any hazardous materials onboard.

The New River is considered one of the oldest rivers in North America. According to the National Park Service, it’s widely believed that the waterway “has been in its present course for at least 65 million years.” It once ran through Central Ohio, Indiana and Illinois before going into the Mississippi, but much of it got diverted about 10,000 years ago when it was impacted by glacial ice, the service said.

[...]

When the empty coal train went off the tracks, video shows some of the cars ended up in or along the bank of the New River. That area is part of the 53 miles of the river that’s maintained by the National Park Service within the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

When oil gets into freshwater bodies, it can cause significant damage depending on the amount involved.

The outlet says that according to the EPS, oil spills in freshwater bodies can still cause significant damage even though those sorts of spills aren’t covered as widely as ones in saltwater bodies like an ocean.

“Freshwater bodies are highly sensitive to oil spills and are important to human health and the environment,” the .

There is some good news though. Because the New River is a flowing waterway, the impact will apparently be less severe than if the diesel and oil flowed into standing water. Since the water is moving, the contaminants don’t have the chance to “cling” to plants. That means it is less likely to contaminate the animals that eat those eplants. The EPA goes on to say that oil can end up disrupting local ecology when it gets trapped within rocks in the water.

CBS News says that CSX will be held responsible for cleaning up the since the company owns 12 feet “from the middle of the track to either side.”

“The safety of our employees and the community is our top priority as we dispatch our teams to assess the situation and develop a plan to completely restore the area,” CSX said in its release. “Our team is in close contact with local police and fire officials and we will continue to work closely with them on our recovery efforts.”

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Beyond Cars
Marshmallow Treats Ended Up On The Royal Air Force's No-Fly List
Marshmallow Treats Ended Up On The Royal Air Force's No-Fly List
Over in the United Kingdom, there’s a certain dessert known as a “teacake” — or, as a British friend kindly informed me, it’s more accurately known as a “Tunnock” in Scotland. Basically, the food in question for this particular story are actually a cookie base topped with marshmallow, coated...
Nov 16, 2025
2023 Zero DSR/X: The Bike Of The Future, But Not Our Future
2023 Zero DSR/X: The Bike Of The Future, But Not Our Future
The world, in 2023, is cyberpunk. We’ve got the , the , and the that keeps the and the . But in cyberpunk media, people are always riding . Why are we stuck with the same bikes we’ve always had? , it seems, wants to address this grievous wrong....
Nov 16, 2025
Aircraft Touch Tips During Blizzard At Japanese Airport
Aircraft Touch Tips During Blizzard At Japanese Airport
As at , its port side wing the starboard vertical stabilizer of bound for Hong Kong. This comes at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, and . “Our aircraft, which was stationary at the time with no customers nor crew onboard, was struck by a Korean Air A330 which was taxiing past,”...
Nov 16, 2025
Deadliest Train In America Kills 3 People In 2 Separate Collisions At The Same Crossing
Deadliest Train In America Kills 3 People In 2 Separate Collisions At The Same Crossing
operate between Orlando and Miami and hold the unwelcome distinction of being both the first intra-city high speed rail in the U.S. and the , by far. After three people died at a single grade crossing in two separate incidents last week it seems the feds are finally perking...
Nov 16, 2025
String Of Boeing Failures Continues With 737-800 Flight Turning Back With Cracked Cockpit Windshield
String Of Boeing Failures Continues With 737-800 Flight Turning Back With Cracked Cockpit Windshield
In the wake of recent major , including , , and the debacle that was , it isn’t a good time for further failures by the company. that would , an unrelated 737-800 with a cracked windshield, became international news this weekend. The flight took off from Sapporo-New Chitose...
Nov 16, 2025
Crystal Chunks Are Bursting Through The Road In China
Crystal Chunks Are Bursting Through The Road In China
A video of what looks like quartz breaking through the surface of a is making the rounds on . I don’t get over there much, being suspicious of the Chinese over concerns of it spying on its users, as the reports. OK, fine. Actually, I just don’t get the humor...
Nov 16, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved