Posted on August 11 2018
Train Derailment on the West Branch of the Upper Delaware River – Update #4
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued the following statement late yesterday in response to the train derailment on the West Branch of the Upper Delaware River. We are heartened and grateful that the Cuomo administration and his environmental agency are dedicating significant resources to clean-up efforts on the Upper Delaware River in the aftermath of the derailment. We encourage them to remain fully vigilant until all public health and ecological concerns have been addressed on the land, in the water, and in downstream communities.
DEC Update on train derailment:
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) are continuing response efforts today to remedy the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) train derailment that occurred early Thursday morning in the town of Deposit in Delaware County.
DEC Spills and Emergency Management staff and Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) responded and are overseeing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) drone flights to survey for impacts. Pads and absorbent materials are being deployed and changed as necessary as crews continue to remove diesel from the ground near the engines. The environmental contractor hired by the railroad is conducting a bio-assessment of river and taking water samples.
The sheen in the west branch is diminishing. DEC ECOs and wildlife staff were able to catch one merganser and two Canada Geese that had been covered in fuel. The animals were cleaned with absorbent pads and transported to a wildlife rehabilitator for a thorough cleaning, care and eventual release. One Canada goose was found dead and was believed to have died as a result of the spill.
DEC encourages anyone that sees animals that may be suffering from fuel oil contamination in their fur or feathers to contact DEC at (844) DEC-ECOS.
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