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British Columbia officials say preliminary tests did not reveal drinking water contamination exceeding guidelines after 80,000 liters of fuel spilled into Kamloops Lake following a train crash.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) train crash happened last Saturdayand saw approximately 80,700 liters of aviation fuel spill into the lake after 17 railway carriages derailed.
Concern immediately increased in relation to many communities such as Savona, Tobiano, Valhachin and others, which draw water supplies from the lake, approximately 240 kilometers northeast of Vancouver in the Thompson-Nicola region of British Columbia.
Although many communities have cut off the lake's water supply after the spillOfficials said Friday that initial tests of water samples showed no direct impact on drinking water in Savona, where 700 inhabitants live, as a result of the spill.
Cleanup efforts continue after a train derailed and spilled fuel near Kamloops, British Columbia. The Canadian Pacific Kansas City locomotive was carrying fuel and gypsum when it derailed Saturday night, CBC's Jacqueline Gelineau reports.
” [Thompson-Nicola Regional District] is still awaiting test results and updated information will be provided to customers in Walhachin when those results are known,” the regional district said in a statement Friday afternoon.
“At this time, the risk to the Walhachin community water supply remains very low.”
The TNRD update comes after test results from all water samples taken earlier this week showed no detections above provincial safety thresholds for drinking water or aquatic life.
Michael Grenier, TNRD Area J director, said in an interview that technicians began the process of removing jet fuel from the water Saturday, as well as removing the train car that was perpendicular to the tracks.
He said several dead birds near the lake, including Canada geese, were sent for necropsy to determine if their deaths were related to the fuel spill.
“Lake Kamloops is a picturesque place. This is a habitat for large fish. This is a wildlife corridor and their home,” he said.
“And so I think it's very important that … they approach this methodically,” he said of the cleanup operation.
This was reported by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. late Friday evening that booms have been installed on the lake to contain visible oil sheen.
He added that the observation flight did not notice any visible oil sheen outside the boom, and flight operators estimated that there was “less than 25 liters of fuel inside the boom containment area.”
“Water sampling continues. CPKC's lead environmental consultant noted that all samples remained below [B.C.] Recommendations for using a source of drinking water,” the message says.
In its statement, the TNRD noted that private water operators also draw water from the lake, including at Tobiano, and anyone served by a private operator should contact them with any questions.
Bluestem Utilities, the private water supplier in Tobiano, said in a statement Friday that it had switched to using the water intake only under the presence of an operator and had conducted a thorough review.
A spokesman for the Department of Internal Health announced this on Friday. Authorities advised the Frederick community, located across the lake from the spill, not to take water from the lake.
“At this time, the Department of the Interior does not have water testing results in this area that support the current risk to human health,” the spokesperson wrote.
“This recommendation is also made to protect private water users in the area, as small amounts of fuel entering a water intake can cause long-term damage to the water supply.”
Environmental issues
No one was injured as a result of the crash, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Crews have already pulled four railroad cars from the lake, CPKC said. The train operator is required by law to carry out spill cleanup work.
“Work to safely remove the remaining vehicles from the site is expected in the coming days,” the statement said.
Peter Ross, a senior scientist at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation who specializes in water pollution, said it was important to continue to monitor the downstream impacts of aviation fuel spills over time.
“How many times do we read and learn about an oil spill somewhere in British Columbia?” he asked. “They come from railroad cars, from trucksfrom shipsfrom small vessels.
“These are chronic problems. “By and large, these are accidents and they are a simple reminder of how fragile our environment is.”
