Crews clean up acid spill

Acid spill location

• By RICHARD BURGESS
• Advocate Acadiana bureau
• Published: May 20, 2008 - Page: 1BA - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LAFAYETTE — Cleanup crews Monday began scraping away contaminated soil at the site of Saturday’s train derailment while lawsuits over the incident quickly mounted.

Residents were allowed to return home Sunday after police lifted the evacuation for a 1-mile radius around the site of the derailment at the Ambassador Caffery Parkway overpass, where an overturned rail car leaked about 10,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid.

Cleanup crews initially treated the area with lime to neutralize the acid.

On Monday, workers used heavy equipment to scrape away the top few inches of contaminated soil from around and beneath the railroad tracks, state Department of Environmental Quality Regional Manager Robert Freeman said.

He said the contaminated soil will be hauled to an industrial landfill near Livonia.

The cleanup — performed by the railroad company and monitored by DEQ — is expected to be completed by Wednesday, Freeman said.

DEQ is continuing to test air quality around the site, but no problems have been noted, agency spokesman Rodney Mallett said.
“Low levels. Nothing major at all,” he said.

Hydrochloric acid can cause respiratory problems, but no major injuries have been reported and state health officials cleared the area for residents to return.

The Ambassador Caffery overpass was scheduled to reopen at 6 p.m. Monday.

The bridge had remained closed while state Department of Transportation and Development inspectors assessed the integrity of the structure.

DOTD district administrator Bill Fontenot said that one of the railcars is believed to have bumped the bridge and there were also concerns about the effect of hydrochloric acid on concrete and steel.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe has set up a claims center at the Cajundome for the estimated 3,000 residents forced to evacuate their homes after the derailment.

BNSF will pay all documented expenses related to the evacuation, such as lodging, travel and food, railway spokesman Joe Faust said.