Tanker train derailment near Glen Lyn
Tuesday evening, April 28, a Norfolk Southern tanker train derailed 13 cars on the WV side of the bridge near Glen Lyn, VA. Three cars are leaking soybean oil into the East River, a direct tributary into the New River, just a hundred yards away. A hazmat crew has deployed a containment boom to help prevent the oil from spreading further.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Hazmat Unit, the Roanoke Regional Hazmat Unit and a hazmat crew from the nearby Celanese Plant responded to the scene. Local emergency responders from the Rich Creek Fire Department and the town of Narrows also assisted.
New River Conservancy Water Quality Manager, and former fisheries biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resource, John Copeland commented “While a soybean oil spill in the East River is not ideal, other spills involving chemicals would be much worse. As oil is lighter than water, containment booms and vacuum systems should be able to remove the majority of the spill.”
New River Conservancy continues to monitor the situation.
Pic: Derailed cars on the bridge over the East River. Oakvale Volunteer Fire Department.
