A beaver dam washout due to heavy rain is being blamed for a 91原创 91原创 Railway train derailment in Burnaby that spilled coal into a protected waterway Saturday morning.
Seven cars from a 152-car train carrying coal travelling westbound went off the 91原创 National Railway tracks at around 11 a.m. near Government and Cariboo Roads north of Burnaby Lake. Four cars remained upright, while three tipped over spilling coal.
Two crew members were on board but there were no injuries.
"The cause of the derailment was the heavy rainfall that cause a beaver dam washout," said CN spokeswoman Emily Hamer. "It had built its dam into where our tracks are and erosion caused the dam to collapse which led to the washout. If affected the integrity of our tracks, which lead to the derailment."
Environment Canada had forecast 50 millimetres of rain overnight in Metro 91原创, prompting a rainfall warning on Friday.
Hamer confirmed that some of the coal had spilled into a waterway, but she could not say how much. She said CN and CP crews were on site to assess the environmental impact and develop a response plan.
At the creek, there is a sign posted noting that the waterway is considered a sensitive fish and wildlife habitat, and that the area is protected by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The spill is being viewed by coal critics as ammunition in their fight against the growing volume of coal exports through Port Metro 91原创.
Rail safety has been in the spotlight over the last year after a train containing crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic, Que., in July, killing 47 people.
On Tuesday, 17 cars, five of which were carrying crude oil, derailed near Wapske, New Brunswick. Also this week, it was revealed the B.C. and Alberta governments will examine the idea of transporting crude oil via rail if proposed pipelines don鈥檛 get the green light, which critics decried as raising serious environmental and safety issues.
Within two hours of Saturday鈥檚 coal spill incident, local environmental group Voters Taking Action on Climate Change sent out a statement denouncing plans to expand coal export at Neptune Terminals.
The group claims the port authority rushed through its decision on the Neptune expansion despite growing opposition and demands for public hearings and a health impact assessment.
The group鈥檚 director Kevin Washbrook said the incident in Burnaby highlights a fundamental flaw in decision making around expanded coal exports in Metro 91原创.
鈥淭he port authority has absolute power to approve expanded coal exports from publicly owned Port lands, and it refuses to acknowledge that those decisions have an impact on surrounding communities,鈥� he said, in the statement. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 the health impacts from increased exposure to diesel exhaust or coal dust or train derailments themselves, increased coal exports come at a cost to our neighbourhoods.鈥�
Port Metro 91原创 already approved last year the $200-million expansion of Neptune Bulk Terminals coal-handling facility in North 91原创. At issue now is the proposed $15-million Fraser Surrey Docks coal-handling facility, which would take coal from Wyoming for export overseas.
Critics are concerned over the health effects of coal dust and locomotive diesel emissions, as well as the implications of increased coal exports on global warming.
Health authorities in the Fraser Valley and 91原创 have weighed in, calling for a comprehensive health-effects assessment of the Surrey project.
Ken Hall, professor emeritus with the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of B.C., says submerged coal dust could upset the balance of an aquaculture, and that water fowl could be indirectly affected if they coal-contaminated marine life. However, he also notes that a coal spill would not be nearly as detrimental as an oil or gas spill.
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