Oregon approves ethanol spill cleanup from 2011

April 30, 2014 |

In Oregon, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality has approved the cleanup of an ethanol spill in the railroad right-of-way east of Highway 30 near its intersection with Cornelius Pass Road north of Portland, Ore. The spill occurred on May 4, 2011, when log cars in a freight train on the Portland & Western Railroad main line derailed and collided with an ethanol tank car on an adjacent siding. The collision breached the tank car, causing it to release its contents and catch fire. Approximately 20,000 gallons of ethanol was released to the ground surface as a result of the incident.

After the fire was extinguished, environmental contractors stabilized conditions at the site. In July 2011, Portland & Western removed approximately 476 tons of contaminated soil from the spill site and installed monitoring wells. The wells are sampled periodically to evaluate groundwater quality near the spill.

DEQ has concluded that residual levels of ethanol in soil and groundwater do not pose unacceptable risks to nearby properties or wetlands in the vicinity of the spill. Ethanol levels in soil and groundwater will continue to decrease as the product naturally degrades over time.

Category: Fuels

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