Fish Kill Survey Work Done
Official: 'In Excess Of 10,000' Fish Dead After Toxic Spill

A team of Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission field employees finished surveying the Portage Sinnemahoning Creek and sections of the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning River last week.

They were searching for signs of life after a chemical spill at the headwarters of Portage Creek washed down stream, killing most everything in its path for 10 miles.

Using electro-shocking equipment and nets to determine if any fish survived the 42,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide that poured into the stream from tankers on a crashed train, F&BC officials determined that the fish population was completely wiped out for 10 miles.

Worse yet, they found "only a very small number of fish" alive in the 20-mile stretch of the Driftwood Branch below.

The Norfolk Southern train that crashed here three weeks ago is responsible for killing in excess of 10,000 fish.

Since the F&BC is in a position to prosecute Norfolk Southern in criminal proceedings, that number is believed to be very conservative.

The highly concentrated chemical, also known as caustic soda, or lye, caused thousands of wild brown and brook trout, stocked rainbow and brown trout, bass, catfish, carp and minnows to die immediately.

Dan Tredinnick, Fish Commission spokesman, said findings from the field survey would be compared with historical field data for those and similar streams.

"We'll use the findings and those comparisons to calculate the value of lost aquatic life and recreation," Mr. Tredinnick said. "We do know that what was lost can't be replaced in the short term. It will all be part of any claims we might make."

He said there were no dollar estimates of the damage caused by the derailment. The commission could file a separate monetary claim against Norfolk Southern for the environmental damage or take joint action with the state Department of Environmental Protection, which has finished its independent assessment of water quality and damage to aquatic insects.

DEP biologists found no living aquatic insects in the 7.5 miles of Portage Creek downstream from the spill site, a portion of the stream rated "high quality" and particularly popular because of its wild brown and brook trout holdings.

Samples taken near the town of Emporium, 10 miles downstream from the derailment, showed some life, but "significant impairment compared [with] background data."

Kelly Burch, DEP northwest regional director, said water quality was improving, "but we still have portions of the creek that remain severely affected by the spill."

A National Railroad Administration records check found no previous derailments in the area and "no safety compliance issues on that rail line," which runs through a deep gorge on a steep grade. The rail line is used by two trains a day.

Norfolk Southern's investigation into what caused the derailment of 28 cars, including the three tank cars that leaked, is continuing, according to Rudy Husband, a company spokesman.

While fish kills caused by accidental and intentional stream pollution or disruption are fairly common occurrences, the size and location of this one, in a highquality watershed, is unprecedented, Tredinnick said.

There were 288 cases of stream pollution or disturbances investigated by the Fish Commission last year. None involved a railroad derailment. The commission collected $208,977.38 in fines and settlements in the 217 cases it has disposed of, an average of less than $1,000 per incident.

Lost recreational value, a significant consideration in the fish kill in the Sinnemahoning watershed, is often the major component in assessing fines, penalties or damages.

"It's too early to speculate what will happen on this one, but we're not going to shrug our shoulders on something like this," Mr. Tredinnick said. "These are high-quality streams and it's our responsibility to protect them."