Derailment cleanup nearly complete

There was good news about the BNSF Railway derailment this week, according to a statement from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

First, as of Wednesday, Feb. 27, approximately 85 percent of the coal spilled on land by the derailment of 40 train cars Feb. 16 had been recovered.

And, BNSF is working closely with Fond du Lac staff and government to coordinate the cleanup, something FDL chairman Kevin Dupuis said wasn’t happening at a Feb. 19 press conference when he threatened to shut down cleanup operations if the railroad company didn’t start working with the tribe and local emergency responders.

A week later, things are looking up.

According to information released by the Fond du Lac Band to the Pine Knot News, the cleanup at the site on Fond du Lac land and the St. Louis River approximately four miles west of Cloquet is going well overall.

All BNSF train cars and materials have also now been moved off-site. Band officials estimate approximately five days of work remains on the landward side of the site.

According to the press release: “The cleanup of coal is being completed under the supervision of cultural resource monitors to ensure that if archeological items are encountered, all work ceases immediately and there will be minimal disturbance to the site.”

There is some coal that isn’t immediately accessible, however.

According to the FDL statement, while the cleanup on land is nearing completion, an undetermined volume of coal remains locked between ice layers and under the ice in the river. However, shortly after the derailment, a sediment containment wall was built to prevent material from moving downstream and to expedite cleanup efforts. To date, Fond du Lac’s Resource Management team has determined that the sediment containment wall is working as intended and coal is not moving downstream, band officials said.

Finally, the Fond du Lac Band press release stated the following assessment:

“The environmental impact is localized, as the site is stabilized and reclamation efforts are underway. The Fond du Lac Resource Management Division does not anticipate any long-lasting environmental impact because of the coal spill, but ongoing monitoring of the site and water quality will be conducted.”