DEP Derailment Data Arrives
Public Records Contain Scientific Data From Crash Site, Below

The Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) report from its investigation into the train crash that resulted in a chemical spill here on June 30 has arrived at the Conservation District Office in Cameron County.

The several hundred page report contains mostly scientific data collected from the stream and surrounding wetlands.

DEP is among the agency's investigating the environmental and biological impact of a toxic spill that resulted from a train crash that occurred on June 30 near the Cameron/McKean County line. Over 40,000 gallon of sodium hydroxide poured from gaping holes in three tankers that were destroyed in the 31car crah.

The highly-corrisive liquid poured directly into tiny Big Fill Run and then into Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek, a Class A Wild Trout stream. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of fish and millions of the organisms they feed on were killed as the chemical made its way down Portage Creek and into the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning River.

An extremely basic chemical, the sodium hydroxide raised the waters pH level to levels that essentially burned fish and other aquatic organisms on contact. All life was lost in the first several miles of Portage Creek. All fish were killed in a 7.5-mile stretch.

Mostly interested in the "benthic community," the macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects that can been seen with the naked eye) on the river's bottom, DEP investigators took water samples from hundreds of locations along the stream and also used fine nets to collect insect data.

The reports of their findings are in the documents at the Conservation District office. They are a matter of public record.

The following is a word-forword report made by Kipp Starks, a Water Quality Specialist with DEP.

6/30/06 Day of Derailment

I arrived at the wreck at 2:30pm and proceeded to gather water quality data including pH and sodium samples as well as photos of the impact to big Fill Hollow and the Sinnemahoning Portage Creek. The most obvious effects to the stream included elevated pH readings, sodium concentrations and turbidity resulting in a major fish kill. The pH averaged 12.3 in the upper parts of the Portage and sample results clearly show large variations in sodium concentrations between the affected and unaffected locations. Due to the dark brown, turbid water in the upper reaches, few dead fish were observed, however as the water became less cloudy with increased stream volume, many dead and dying fish were visible, especially in the Four Mile Run area which appeared to be the location of the slug at 5pm.

Other observations included a persistent white foam on the surface of the creek, yellowed grasses that were in contact with the water, crayfish crawling out of the creek, and lack of macroinvertebrates on the undersides of rocks. As of 5:30 that evening, live fish were observed in the Portage at the SR 120 Bridge in Emporium. A pH of 8.2 indicated that the sodium hydroxide had not yet reached that point.

7/6/06 Macroinvertebrate/ Water Quality Sampling

The Northcentral Regional Office sent two teams to gather macroinvertebrates and water quality samples form the Driftwood Branch Sinnemahoning Creek from upstream of the confluence of the Sinnemahoning Portage Creek just north of the village of Driftwood. The two teams gathered a total of nine samples.

GPS coordinates, a pH reading, and sodium samples were collected at each of these locations. In addition, two blank samples and two duplicate samples were gathered for quality assurance purposes. All sample results gathered on the 6th show low sodium concentrations, and both blank and duplicate samples had results consistent with what was expected. Numerous dead fish of various sizes and species wee observed along the entire stretch of stream sampled.