Regulators Report No Perceived Danger from Hazardous Train Derailment in Yellowstone River

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State and federal officials have stated that initial testing of the Yellowstone River’s water and air quality, where a train carrying dangerous substances derailed following a bridge collapse, reveals no immediate threat to public safety.

The location, near the town of Columbus, approximately 40 miles (or about 64 kilometers) west of Billings, Montana, found the seven wrecked cars, laden with hot asphalt and molten sulfur, in the swiftly flowing river a day after the accident. This area lies in a thinly populated section of the Yellowstone River Valley, predominantly consisting of ranch and farmland.

Kevin Stone, a spokesperson for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, disclosed that early results from the water sampling didn’t detect petroleum hydrocarbons (from asphalt) or sulfur. Both substances do not dissolve in water, he clarified.

“The assessment of the water quality will persist until the cleanup is finished. As of now, there are no discernible risks to the public drinking water supply,” Stone added.

The train’s operator, Montana Rail Link, has commissioned contractors to undertake the water testing, with the supervision from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

EPA’s contractors, keeping an eye on the air downstream of the derailment, haven’t found any toxic gases, according to Rich Mylott, a spokesperson for the regional office of the agency.

Water testing, which started on Saturday, will continue throughout the cleanup process at the derailment site, stated Andy Garland, a spokesperson for Montana Rail Link.

“Montana Rail Link is dedicated to addressing any potential consequences caused by this incident,” Garland affirmed.

David Stamey, head of Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services, reported that the exact amount of cargo that spilled into the river is currently unknown.

Garland noted that both hot asphalt and molten sulfur rapidly harden and solidify upon contact with water, and preliminary modeling indicates these substances are unlikely to travel far downstream.

The cleanup crews are still working out the optimal approach to car removal given the severity of the crash and the extensive damage sustained, Stamey elaborated.

The Federal Railroad Administration, currently investigating the cause of the derailment, didn’t have any preliminary insights to share about the inquiry, said spokesperson Daniel Griffin.

The bridge’s collapse also interrupted a fiber-optic cable delivering internet services to many Montana residents, reported Global Net, the high-speed provider. Although the company is providing service through a backup route, some users were without service or experienced slow connections on Sunday.

The Yellowstone experienced record flooding in 2022, causing substantial damage to the Yellowstone National Park and nearby Montana towns. The collapsed bridge section of the river flows away from Yellowstone National Park, located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) southwest.

Retired engineering professor Robert Bea from the University of California Berkeley, with extensive experience in disaster analysis, suggested that repeated years of high river flow could hint at a potential cause.

“High water flow equates to strong forces acting on the pier and crucially, on the river bottom,” Bea explained, “This can lead to erosion or scouring, which could undermine the foundation. The high forces may increase the probability of structural failure, potentially triggering the accident.”

An old highway bridge that ran parallel to the railroad bridge, collectively known as the Twin Bridges, was demolished in 2021 after the Montana Department of Transportation found it at immediate risk of collapsing. The railroad bridge, inspected bi-annually, underwent its most recent assessment in May, Garland stated.

The Federal Railroad Administration will examine these inspection reports for compliance with federal safety regulations, Griffin added.

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This story has been corrected to ensure the correct spelling of David Stamey.

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