Very low levels of oil near site of Gogama rail spill: CN
“I'm going to check that every level of oversight that is there to protect the public has been used”
Conditions are improving at the site of a Canadian National Railway train derailment near Gogama, Ont., according to the rail company.
About a million litres of crude oil spilled on March 7 when 35 oil tankers derailed and burst into flames.
Over the weekend, a hands-on examination of the shorelines near the site was done to detect oil.
"Surface water analytical results for samples collected from both the river and lake show very low level detections of oil contamination, which are below screening levels, and have been since mid-April," said CN spokesman Pierre Bergeron in an email to CBC News.
Bergeron added that fish are safe for human consumption. He said people on and around the water should report any sightings of accumulated product or sheen to the CN.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is expected to remove 30,000 tonnes of soil at the derailment site for testing. Some of it is being examined on site, while the rest is being trucked to a provincially-owned landfill in Cartier, Ont., close to Greater Sudbury.
The ministry confirms the soil has traces of oil, but spokesperson Celeste Dugas could not say how much.
"We have seen the data for the analysis that has been done, but I don't have specifics," said Dugas.
None of the samples have tested hazardous so far.
Checking for oversight
The MPP for the area France Gelinas is determined to make sure the clean-up goes as planned.
"I'm going to check that every level of oversight that is there to protect the public has been used and that no red flag ever went up along the way," she said.
CN collected water during oil recovery efforts. It is being shipped by a licensed waste hauler to an approved, unnamed facility in Guelph, Ont.
CN is expected to continue remediation efforts for a considerable period of time.
Contaminated soil was also found at the site of another CN train derailment near Gogama on February 14. The rail company is considering what to do with the contaminated soil on site.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is monitoring both clean ups.