Georgia officials hit Norfolk Southern with a $10,000 fine for train derailment and spill
Train derailment spilling soybeans killed these Georgia fish, ecologist says
The catastrophic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio has led to a new scrutiny of the safety of the freight rail industry. One derailment from July hit close to home for Georgians. An ecologist told FOX 5 that a train derailment in Gainesville over the summer caused at least 100 fish to suffocate. The culprit: Spilled soybeans.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Days after the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has fined the Atlanta-based railroad Norfolk Southern for $10,000 for another derailment causing environmental damage last year in Gainesville.
Regulators say it caused thousands of soybeans to spill into Flat Creek last July, which leads to Lake Lanier.
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper watershed specialist Becca Risser said a whole lot of fish turned up dead in the weeks following.
"It’s really hard to estimate how many fish were killed. We counted about 100 that we were able to see, but another problem with this spill was the water clarity was so bad," Risser said.
She says unlike the material spilled in East Palestine, Ohio, soybeans are organic, but the fish died because the bacteria that ate the beans took up all the oxygen in the water and suffocated the fish. In the month that followed, the railroad paid for mitigation efforts from the smelly spill.
Every day in metro Atlanta, an untold number of freight trains carrying all types of materials come through some of the most densely populated areas.
"We don’t really know in many ways what is traveling on our railroads," Risser said.
Throughout Georgia, there are 4,600 miles of active rail lines, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Statewide in the last ten years, hazardous materials have spilled from trains at least six times.
Eight months after the Gainesville derailment, Risser said fish populations are on the mend, but the ecosystem is still chronically impaired.
"It certainly demonstrates the potential for huge problems," Risser said. "We were fortunate that this was not a toxic spill and not a danger to humans at any point."
She believes that if the cleanup began sooner, the fishkill would not have been so severe.
FOX 5 reached out to Norfolk Southern for comment. A spokesperson released the following statement:
"On July 29, three cars from a Norfolk Southern train derailed in Gainesville, Georgia resulting in a release of soybeans. While this was a non-hazmat situation, NS and our contractors responded immediately and worked to contain and remove the spilled material. There was no impact to Flat Creek at that time. On Friday, Aug. 12, we were made aware of soybean material in Flat Creek about a mile away from the site of the derailment. The reason it had an impact is because the soybeans decompose over time similar to other organic material. We have a dedicated staff of environmental experts and contractors with experience in these types of incidents, and immediately responded to assist. The site has been cleaned up."