Two months after a railroad bridge collapse sent carloads of hazardous oil products plunging into Montana’s Yellowstone River, the cleanup workers are gone and a mess remains
Thick mats of tarry petroleum asphalt cover portions of sandbars. Oil-speckled rocks and bushes line the shore along with chunks of yellow sulfur, a component of crude. In the middle of the river downstream of the bridge, a tangle of steel juts out of the water from a ruptured railroad tank car that has not been removed.
The scope of remaining pollution was evident this week when viewed by boat downstream of the collapsed bridge, which has since been repaired. Asphalt could be seen on every river island visited, ranging from globs stuck on riverside vegetation to thick mats of tar oozing across sand bars as summer temperatures heated it into a viscous liquid.
Test results on other fish species are pending, said Chrissy Webb with Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. Asphalt in the water could be especially problematic, he said. It won’t readily set or harden as it typically does after being exposed to air, such as when used in road construction or as roofing material.
Montana Rail Link spokesperson Andy Garland said the company was committed to addressing the derailment’s impacts, and decided in coordination with state and federal officials that “a different approach” was needed. He said a local task force will continue to respond to reports about asphalt. Crews working downstream reached that point near Custer, Montana, about 136 miles from the bridge collapse.
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