CSXT - Rochester
Voluntary Cleanup Program Site Number V00524
A view of the crash scene
Site Description
In December 2001, a CSXT freight train derailed in the City of Rochester, near the bank of the Genesee River. The derailment of forty-three cars and two engines resulted in the release of approximately 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel, 14,000 gallons of acetone and 16,000 gallons of methylene chloride. Initial emergency response actions addressed the wreckage, all of the diesel fuel, and some of the acetone and methylene chloride.
Cleanup
After the initial emergency response, CXST entered into the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) with DEC. Under the VCP, CSXT implemented a cleanup to address impacted soil and groundwater resulting form the derailment. Approximately 28,000 tons of impacted soil and 1.4 million gallons of impacted water were removed from the site and disposed off-site at approved facilities.
A second cleanup was conducted to address impacted river sediments. The sediments were dredged and transported to approved disposal facilities. A total of 2,856 cubic yards of sediment were removed, and approximately 20,000 gallons of river water were treated.
Emergency response to crash
CSXT studied the feasibility of using bioremediation to address the residual soil impacts that could not be removed during the initial cleanup. Using bioremediation to treat contaminated soils in-place is generally more cost-effective, less intrusive, and less energy intensive than physically removing the soil. CSXT's studies indicated that bioremediation was feasible. Therefore, the Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP) developed under the VCP called for using a bio-amendment which would be injected into the ground at selected locations. The bio-amendment contained a combination of nutrients and oxygen-releasing compounds.
Following the injection, soil and groundwater samples were collected three times the following year. The tests verified that the groundwater remained un-impacted by site contaminants. Additionally, soil concentrations across the site were reduced to levels well below soil cleanup objectives for Unrestricted use. DEC provided CSXT with a release from liability in November 2010.
