Trail Derailment Delta

Disclaimer:

• Information provided is based on reports received by Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR)
• Information provided is considered to be current at the time of posting, but is subject to change

Incident description

Incident Date	November 19, 2023
Name	DGIR: 234516
Source	Train
Nearest Community	South Surrey, B.C. & Delta, B.C.
Spilled Content	Diesel
Who is involved	Metro Vancouver, City of Delta, City of Surrey, Musqueam Nation, Kwantlen First Nation, Semiahmoo First Nation, Tsawwassen First Nation, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Transport Canada, Nucor Environmental Solutions Ltd., GHD Group Pty Ltd. (GHD), Kleanza Consulting Ltd.

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Response phase details

The responsible person or spiller is legally required to clean-up or manage the clean-up of a spill.

In incidents where the responsible person is unknown, unable or unwilling to manage the cleanup, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV) may assume the role. 

The updates below reflect the ministry’s oversight of the spillers’ actions. Details describe the spill response phase only and not the complete lifecycle of the spill. Visit the 'More information' page for other reports. 

Updates are in reverse chronological order with the most recent at the top.

Industry-specific language may be explained in the Glossary of Terms (PDF, 106KB).

Most recent updates

January 11, 2024

Surface water sampling has been completed at ten locations at the impacted site and surrounding area, while surface water inspections continue. From the eleven total samples taken by the Ministry of Environment, eight have been submitted to the laboratory for further analysis.

The environmental contractor continues to manage stockpile cover (tarps), while also adjusting underflow weirs and absorbent boom to contain diesel product, emulsion, and sheen. In anticipation of heavy precipitation in the region, the environmental contractor also bolstered the weirs with additional sandbags throughout December.

Ongoing communication and coordination continues with invested parties, including those noted in the incident description above. Collaboration between First Nations, local government, qualified professionals, and the Ministry of Environment continues to ensure all environmental sensitivities are identified and remediated. Environmental consultants have stated that recent reports of impacts adjacent to the source of the spill are not related to this spill incident.

A qualified professional has positively reported that spilled material is contained and environmental monitoring and weekly sampling continues. Parties are awaiting archeological permits before contractors can begin additional excavation of impacted material.

Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.

November 29, 2023

Surface water sampling continues at ten locations while laboratory results from the environmental sampling undertaken between November 19th-25th has identified diesel impacts in some locations. 

There are new environmental tests being taken to determine if observed toluene levels are a result of the spill itself or are emanating from an adjacent bog environment.

Archeological consultants and the Ministry of Environment continue to work together in confirming application of the Heritage Conservation Act.

Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.

November 27, 2023

An EERO returned to the site while an environmental consultant continued surface water sampling and monitoring of the area.

Observed oil sheens and diesel product was contained by absorbent. The environmental consultant completed additional sampling at eight locations surrounding the site. Samples were taken to a laboratory in Burnaby for further analysis.

The environmental contractor continues recovering diesel at the site through absorbents and has conducted a drone flyover at the site for monitoring. Underflow dams are currently being built to contain an expected increase in rainfall at the site later this week. Archeology consultants are present and are undertaking their own investigations.

Future planned activities include:

• Continued scrapping and demobilization of damaged rail equipment.
• Following removal of rail equipment, conducting a complete environmental inspection of the area for general refuse.
• Continued surface water sampling and monitoring of the site and surrounding areas, as required.
• Completed preliminary subsurface soil investigation.
• Continued waste disposal tracking and documentation.
• Continued drone flyovers, weather permitting, to document changes to site conditions.
• Continued recovery of available diesel through absorbent materials.
• Continued use of vacuum trucks to remove spilled material.

Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.

November 24, 2023

An EERO was on site today to monitor cleanup operations. They reported no additional items of concern and a conference call involving all parties occurred.

Contracting crews continued clean up activities along with environmental sampling. The up-righting of railcars continued with plans to have railcars removed from the spill site next week.

ENV is waiting on laboratory results from the contaminated soil recovered on site. In the meantime, the soil remains covered by a polyester film until results are examined and an appropriate disposal facility is identified.

Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.

November 21, 2023

An EERO returned to the site today.

BSNF have completed recovery of some contaminated soil from under the railway tracks and trains were operational today. There are still four derailed train cars that are awaiting salvage.

Diesel recovery from the impacted ditch is ongoing.

Water samples collected around spill site showed the level of hydrocarbon-related materials present 30 meters beyond the source of the spill were below the levels listed in BC Water Quality Guidelines and Contaminated Site Regulation (CSR) standards for industrial land. It is not known if the presence hydrocarbon-related materials is related to the diesel spill. Samples within the spill area, approximate 30 meter radius, exceeded provincial standards.

Further updates will be provided as information becomes available.

November 20, 2023

An EERO returned to the site to monitor ongoing response and monitoring activities. BSNF, Nucor Environmental Solutions Ltd., GHD, Metro Vancouver representatives, and a representative from MOTI were onsite.

Two liquid petroleum gas (LPG) rail cars were recovered and removed from the site. No product had been spilled from these rail cars.

The amount of diesel released is estimated to be 3,500 gallons (US) or just over 13,000 litres.

Diesel recovery from the impacted ditch progressed overnight and through the day. Excavation of contaminated soil is not expected to start until an archaeological impact assessment is completed and reviewed.

November 19, 2023

Early this morning, two trains from Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway collided and caused a derailment near the South Surrey, B.C., and Delta, B.C., border.

The collision damaged a fuel tank on a locomotive and caused a diesel spill into a nearby ditch that contained runoff water. Response measures for the ditch are being implemented including deploying booms and mobilizing vacuum trucks and heavy equipment.

It is unknown how much diesel spilled.

No additional spills from the impacted train cars were identified. No impacted natural waterways have been identified. No municipal infrastructure is reported to have been impacted at this time.

The Responsible Person, BNSF, retained Nucor Environmental Solutions Ltd. for spill response efforts and GHD for environmental impact monitoring. Kleanza Consulting Ltd. was also retained to complete an archaeological assessment of the impacted area. This work is ongoing.

Metro Vancouver representatives, Transport Canada, and a Provincial Environmental Emergency Response Officer (EERO) responded to the incident.