Residents of Golden are speaking out with concern after thousands of litres of diesel spilled in a rail yard.
On the morning of June 15, a Canadian Pacific Rail train clipped the back of a Trimac fuel tanker.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, up to 25,000 litres of diesel spilled because of the incident.
The Rail Occurrence Database System, with numbers reported from Canadian Pacific, estimated that the breach caused “between 17,000 and 19,000 litres of diesel fuel to spill.”
Both Canadian Pacific Rail and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change have said that no waterways were impacted because of the breach, despite the rail yard’s proximity to the Columbia River and nearby wetlands.
Some parts of the rail yard are less than 100 metres away from wetlands. The Columbia River is less than 500 metres away.
According to the Rail Occurrence Database System, no one was injured as a direct result of the incident.
On social media, concerned residents of the town have claimed that the volume of the spill is close to 30,000 litres.
@goldennemesis141 Nearly 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled in Golden, BC on June 15th when a Trimac fuel truck was clipped by a CP Rail train. Please Share! #wetlands #ecologytiktok #disaster #news #goldenbc #VikingRise #scilenced #help #columbiariver #britishcolumbia #canada #cprailaccident #nonews ♬ original sound - J
Diesel is easier to clean than other types of oil such as bunker or crude oil as it will evaporate by about 40 per cent within 48 hours in cold weather, according to a study by the provincial government. In active water, such as the Columbia River, diesel disperses quickly and becomes diluted, minimizing the threat to wildlife.
However, while it is present and sedentary, diesel is toxic and can kill fish, invertebrates and other wildlife that comes into contact with it.
It’s unclear if the spill has been cleaned up at this time, the Town of Golden has been reached for comment.
READ MORE: Improve Golden’s air quality by swapping out wood burning stoves
@505sami_
sami.islam@blackpress.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our daily and subscribe to our daily newsletter.