What happens when a rail car containing hazardous materials accident dumps its contents near a waterway? That was the topic of conversation recently in Kosciusko County, Ind., as officials from various first-responder-agencies gathered to consider the options. Among those in the conversation was the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams at Grace College. A story on Tuesday’s InkFreeNews site reported about the meeting. A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete story.
Lilly Center For Lakes & Streams Plans To Work With Railroads
The community knows how to prepare for a tornado or flood, but how would the public respond if a rail car of hazardous material accidentally dumped its cargo near a local waterway? Those substances would seep into the closest wetland or stream, potentially causing serious damage to nearby lakes.
To prepare for a rail car incident, several local first-responders recently attended a local presentation of an all hazards training workshop, developed by the University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio.
“The training was beneficial in many ways,” said Dr. Nate Bosch, director of the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams. “If a rail car full of crude oil, ethanol or other harmful liquids derails and dumps near one of our county’s waterways, the results could be catastrophic for people, property and the environment.”
Workshop participants included Turkey Creek, North Webster, New Paris, Silver Lake and Warsaw fire departments, as well as other professionals from Warsaw Stormwater Utility, Wawasee Property Owners Association and Wawasee Boat Company. Bosch also participated.
“The trainers gave us several best-practices for how local organizations should prepare to respond if necessary,” Bosch explained. “In the event of a rail car incident, we will be better prepared.”
There are four major railroad lines in Kosciusko County operated by three separate companies.
Click here to read the complete story.