With restoration of natural water flow in Sulphur Run approved and groundwater at the site no longer considered “hazardous,” the large blue tanks on North Pleasant Drive (pictured) will soon be dismantled, marking another milestone in the cleanup effort following last year’s Norfolk Southern train derailment. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)
EAST PALESTINE – A year and a half after the Norfolk Southern train derailment, natural water flow will return to Sulphur Run in 2023, Norfolk Southern reports.
After completing federal and state regulatory approval processes with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approval was granted to divert the final section of trench along the tracks back into the creek that winds through East Palestine and empties into Leslie Run.
“This is an important milestone in the recovery and part of the overall effort to restore the affected areas to their pre-derailment condition,” The railway reported this. “Rainwater will continue to be collected and disposed of outside the remaining water management areas, the decommissioning of which is currently underway pending regulatory approval.”
After last year’s derailment and chemical spill, surface water bypassed the derailment site using a series of pipes and pumps. This water was held in a retention pond and later diverted downstream into Leslie Run. Groundwater and stormwater were captured at the site and held in two million-gallon tanks in North Pleasant until it could be disposed of off-site. The water collected at the site was used as “dangerous” because it may have come into contact with contaminated soil.
Once the remaining water in the blue storage tanks has been removed, the tanks will be dismantled and removed.
“Due to the significant reduction in the amount of stormwater that needs to be collected for off-site disposal and the ongoing decommissioning work at the site, preparations are now beginning to dismantle the large storage tanks along North Pleasant Drive, also known as ‘Big Blue Tanks’,” Norfolk Southern explained. “Over the next few weeks, these tanks will be progressively dismantled to maintain the required capacity for continued water management on site. As with the other storage tank areas, following removal of the tank cladding materials, confirmatory samples will be taken in the areas beneath the former tanks, followed by re-assessment and restoration.”
Equipment will continue to be cleaned and prepared for transport outside the fracking tank farms. Liners beneath the equipment and soils immediately beneath the liners will be transported off-site. After soil removal, confirmation samples will be taken and these areas will be graded and restored.
The smaller storage tanks at the eastern end of Martin Street have already been dismantled and the liners removed. The gravel beneath the liners is currently being removed and confirmatory samples will be taken prior to re-evaluation and restoration.
This confirmation sampling, which is known as “double check” by the EPA, is over 70% complete. Norfolk Southern reminds residents that “If exceedances of the final cleanup standards are identified, these areas will be subject to additional containment to ensure that all chemicals associated with the derailment are fully identified and further actions are determined.”
As cleanup efforts continue and new milestones are reached, the village is gradually returning to the place it was before the railroad accident.
“Crews continue to plan and fill excavated areas, rebuild trenches and install stormwater infrastructure to return the site to pre-derailment conditions,” said the railway.
Norfolk Southern also reported that work is continuing to restore ditch and stormwater infrastructure on the south side of the tracks and east and west of North Pleasant Drive. Installation of concrete culverts will begin in the ditch north of the tracks and west of North Pleasant Drive, while less intensive grading work continues north of the tracks.
Crews have completed post-remediation sampling in each stream. Data will be received and analyzed over the next few weeks to assess the condition of the stream following remediation work.
