Maine train derailment that spilled 500 gallons of fuel caused by beaver dam, officials say
By Marie Weidmayer, Bangor Daily News Staff
A 2023 train derailment in rural Somerset County that spilled 500 gallons of diesel fuel was caused by excessive water that flowed through a beaver dam and washed out part of the track, state officials said Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Three locomotives and six train cars from Canadian Pacific Kansas City derailed in Sandwich Academy Grant Township on April 15, 2023, into nearby wetlands and the Moose River, a tributary to Little Brassua Lake.
After the crash, 500 gallons of diesel from the train flowed into the lake during the railway’s cleanup because the company failed to empty saddle tanks on the locomotive before removing the engine. The diesel spill saturated soil and extended past the booms, which were designed to contain the contaminant, and into Little Brassua Lake. Hydraulic fluid and engine oil also spilled during the crash.
A flow, which allows water to go through a beaver dam, let go and a “vast amount of water” came down through culverts under the railroad tracks, leading to a washout, Audie Arbo, permitting and compliance manager for the Maine Land Use Planning Commission, said during a commission meeting Feb. 12.
The revelation of the derailment’s cause is likely the final update about the crash, now that the remediation is complete more than a year and a half later. The derailment caused environmental damage, from diesel spills to sediment from a road washing into wetlands and waterways.
New culverts were installed under the tracks. The stream bed was restored and the culverts were graded so fish can travel through, Arbo said. All of the affected roads and water crossings are up to state standards as of November, when staff visited.
A lot of rain after the derailment meant the forest management road used to access the area could not stand up to the heavy equipment brought in, leading to sediment washing out of the road and into the water and forest, Arbo said.
The commission and Maine Forest Service staff issued violation notices and conducted site visits to monitor the erosion, Arbo said. Remediation was done to the site and the road was restored.
All restoration efforts were complete by December, Arbo said. A letter was sent to Canadian Pacific Kansas City on Dec. 23 closing the enforcement case.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City does regular inspections of the railroad tracks and keeps a close eye on flat areas, according to a representative for TRC, an environmental consulting firm hired by the railroad.