Derailment cleanup continues

Cleanup at the site of a Feb. 16 BNSF coal train derailment on the Fond du Lac reservation continues, according to railroad spokesperson Amy McBeth, who confirmed Wednesday that the cause of the derailment remains under investigation.

As of Feb. 27, approximately 85 percent of the coal spilled on land by the derailment of 40 train cars Feb. 16 had been recovered, according to a press release from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which is working with the railroad company on the cleanup.

The final parts of the coal cleanup will be the most challenging, as some of the train cars and their contents also ended up on or next to the St. Louis River.

McBeth said sheets of ice are being cut and removed.

“In addition, we’ll be working this week on the submerged coal in the river,” McBeth said.

The Band press release previously noted that shortly after the derailment, a sediment containment wall was built to prevent material in the river from moving downstream and to expedite cleanup efforts.

The derailment site is located approximately four miles west of Cloquet, just past Pine Island.