River Water at Site of Toxic Spill Returning to Normal, B.C. Official Says

SQUAMISH, B.C. (CP) – Crews worked non-stop Saturday to clean up a train derailment that dumped thousands of litres of a toxic chemical into the Cheakamus River north of here the day before.

Health officials issued an advisory to residents to avoid the river, where dead fish floated near the banks.

But an B.C. Environment Ministry official said tests Saturday showed the pH balance of the water had already returned to normal.

“There has been a number of fish killed that were killed outright or have been suffering ill consequences from a higher pH water,” said Lance Sundquist, the ministry’s incident commander.

“Although there are some fish that have died or are not in very good health as a result of this, crews were observing healthy fish, or what they believe to be healthy fish in the river as well.”

A 144-car CN Rail freight bound for Prince George left the track Friday morning, with nine of the cars tumbling about 12 meters down the steep Cheakamus River canyon.

One of them was a tank car loaded with 51,000 litres of sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, a highly corrosive liquid used in the pulp and paper industry. It broke open and much of the contents leaked into the 27-kilometre river.

Health officials advised people to stay away from the river and not to use water from wells located 100 metres from the river.

Effects from contacting the contaminated water include skin irritation, as well as gastrointestinal irritation if it’s consumed, Monica Barabonoff of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Hospitals had not reported any incidents, she told a news conference Saturday.

Recreational use of the river in the affected area was discouraged, as well as consumption of fish and wildlife.

Sundquist said he believes the advisory affects between 70 and 100 residences.

Crews were visiting individual homes to check pH levels in well water.

Sunquist said it will take at least a month to assess the damage the spill has caused to the fish population but anticipated no long-term effects on water quality.

CN Rail spokesman Graham Dallas said rail line was expected to be back in operation by Saturday evening.

“We’ll still be working at the site for the next couple of days to get the remaining cars out of there and to make sure the cleanup is finalized,” he said.

The derailed cars littering the embankment below the rail line’s bridge, were expected to be retrieved by Monday, he said.

The cause of the derailment was still not known.