A Canadian Pacific freight train derailed Tuesday night in Houston County, Minn., sending six cars into the Mississippi River and spilling food-grade oil into the water.
The southbound train derailed around 10 p.m. about three miles south of Brownsville. There were no injuries reported.
CP spokesman Andy Cummings said a small amount of sodium chlorate powder spilled from one of the 15 derailed cars but none of the chemical reached the river.
Primarily used in a bleaching agent for the pulp and paper industry, sodium chlorate can cause fire or explosions when mixed with other materials, according to the manufacturer.
It could kill algae and other aquatic plants if spilled into the river, said Mark Sandheinrich, a professor of biology and director of the River Studies Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
CP has not said what other materials the mixed-freight train was carrying.
Dozens of contractors and government officials were on the scene Wednesday removing overturned cars and repairing the damaged track.
Crews were cutting through ice to install wooden barriers downstream after discovering a sheen consistent with soybean oil, according to the railroad. CP said Monday afternoon that it planned to empty the tanker cars before pulling them from the river.
“Canadian Pacific takes this incident extremely seriously,” Cummings said. “Safety will be our top priority.”
The railroad said it anticipated the line, which carries about six trains per day, would reopen Wednesday night. Removal of the oil tankers depends on how quickly it could get empty cars to the site to hold the oil.
The Federal Railroad Administration had inspectors on the scene, though it could take months to determine a cause, said deputy regional administrator Michael Bodah.
The Environmental Protection Agency, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Coast Guard and Mississippi River Basin Association were also at the site.
Sabrina Chandler, refuge manager for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, said oil can coat fish and mussels, preventing them from absorbing oxygen.
“We always have a concern if there’s anything going in the river that’s not supposed to be there,” Chandler said.
The derailment occurred under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service overlook that is a popular spot for watching tundra swans and other migratory birds. Chandler said it wasn’t clear what impact the activity might have on future migrations but noted the oil itself would not pose a risk.
“It’s certainly not the same situation as if it was crude oil,” Chandler said.
Canadian Pacific had two derailments in Minnesota during 2015, according to the FRA’s accident database, which includes incidents through the end of October. Both occurred at relatively slow speeds and did not result in major damages or hazardous material spills.
About 31,000 gallons of liquid fertilizer and an unknown amount of diesel fuel leaked into the Mississippi River when two CP trains collided in 2008 near Dresbach, Minn.
Railroads have come under increased scrutiny in recent years with the rapid growth of crude oil shipments. According to the latest available reports, an average of nine trains per week run on the CP line through Houston County carrying more than a million gallons of crude. Most cross the Mississippi River at La Crescent, continuing east through La Crosse County.
Last year the railroad launched four projects on its southeastern Minnesota line, including a bridge replacement and new sidings to allow trains to pass on the Marquette line, which continues south through Iowa and west to Kansas City.
A CP train carrying crude oil derailed Nov. 8 in Watertown, Wis. No injuries were reported in the incident.
On Nov. 7, about 25 cars on a BNSF freight train derailed near Alma, Wis., spilling up to 20,000 gallons of ethanol into the Mississippi River backwaters. No injuries were reported, and the tracks were back in service after three days.
In December, nearly six weeks after the incident, a BNSF spokesperson said there were no signs of adverse impacts to fish or wildlife at the Alma derailment site.
The incident prompted several Wisconsin legislators to request action on the larger issue rail safety, given a spike in train traffic in the area.
Citizens Acting for Rail Safety issued a statement Tuesday saying the derailment “brings to light the potential for serious accidents that can cause disastrous consequences to our communities and environment.” The rail safety group noted that hazardous materials besides oil and ethanol traverse the area daily.