Railway 'reaching out' for projects

Railway Norfolk Southern has issued an update on actions taken since last June's derailment and lye spill near Gardeau.

In a report to the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), the railroad's chief environmental officer, Chuck Wehrmeister, said cleanup has continued in an effort to help streams in the affected area return to normal as quickly as possible.

"We also are reaching out to the community to help us identify programs and projects that highlight the natural resources of the region and enhance recreational opportunities in McKean and Cameron counties," Wehrmeister said.

Following is a summary of some of the railroad's response efforts to date:

--More than 4,170 cubic yards of material containing residual concentrations of sodium hydroxide have been removed from the east and west sides of the track and replaced with clean material and topsoil;

--Sections of impacted stream banks have been stabilized and restored;

--Norfolk Southern has installed 37 groundwater monitoring wells and 46 soil borings, collected 5,300 pH and temperature readings from surface water and seeps, and performed more than 6,000 conductivity tests to define the extent of potential soil impacts;

--The railroad has tested more than 100 residential water sources in two separate sampling periods, which in all instances confirmed that applicable quality standards were being met;

--Two rounds of microinvertebrate sampling have been completed in Sinnemahoning Portage Creek and Big Fill Hollow.

"Ecological function has returned to the Driftwood Branch and the Portage Creek, as evidenced by the Fish and Boat Commission's decision to stock these streams," Norfolk Southern said. "In fact, the pH levels of the Portage Creek and Driftwood Branch returned to acceptable levels shortly after the derailment, and the water quality has remained within the acceptable pH range."

Norfolk Southern said it's willing to fund future stocking for waterways in McKean and Cameron counties. The company also has made a donation to the Cameron County Conservation District to help address acid mine drainage in Sterling Run, which is not related to the spill.

To date, Norfolk Southern has spent more than $2 million to restore the area and waterways impacted by the June 30 derailment and spill.

Once additional permits are approved by DEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, final restoration of Big Fill Hollow west of the rail line and replanting of the adjacent wetlands will be completed.

The company pointed out that ingestion of groundwater is not a current human health risk because there is no current or future anticipated use of groundwater within the impacted area. The impact to groundwater was limited because of an underlying layer of clay, which kept the sodium hydroxide from soaking into the ground too deeply, Norfolk Southern said.

The railroad has proposed provisions for periodic monitoring of the site after remediation to ensure the groundwater is not used for drinking purposes, according to the report.

Engineer was 'following

orders'

Emporium attorney Paul Malizia is poised to mount a rigorous defense of former Norfolk Southern train engineer Michael Seifert, 45, of Buffalo, N.Y.

Seifert is awaiting trial on charges that he was operating the train while under the influence of drugs. It was traveling downhill at about 77 miles per hour in a 15-mph zone when the train derailed, spilling about 42,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide near Gardeau.

"Norfolk Southern's own toxicologist has stated that the level of morphine in Mr. Seifert's bloodstream had no effect on either cognitive functioning or motor skills," Malizia said.

As far as Seifert's decision not to apply the brakes as the train entered a steep descent, Malizia cites the engineer's training.

"In 2000, while he was a trainee, Mr. Seifert was instructed by his supervisor to coast down Keating Summit and the full train at that time reached 73 mph," the attorney said.

Trial date has not been set.