Derailment sends oil into Iowa floodwaters

DOON, Iowa — An estimated 230,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into floodwaters in the northwestern corner of this state after a train derailment, a railroad official said Saturday.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Andy Williams said 14 of 32 oil tanker cars just south of Doon in Lyon County leaked oil into surrounding floodwaters from the swollen Little Rock River.

Nearly half the spill — an estimated 100,000 gallons — had been con- tained with booms near the derailment site and with an additional boom placed about 5 miles downstream, Williams said. Skimmers and vacuum trucks were being used to remove the oil. Crews will then use equipment to separate the oil from the water.

Officials still hadn’t determined the cause of Friday morning’s derailment, but a disaster proclamation issued by Gov. Kim Reynolds for Lyon and three other counties placed the blame on flooding cause by rain. Reynolds visited the de- railment site Saturday afternoon as part of a tour of areas hit by recent flooding.

Some officials have speculated that floodwaters eroded soil beneath the train track. The Little Rock River rose rapidly after heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday

The train was carrying tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to Stroud, Oklahoma, for ConocoPhillips. ConocoPhillips spokesman Daren Beaudo said each tanker can hold more than 25,000 gallons of oil.

Sioux County Sheriff’s Office / Associated Press Tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed about a mile south of Doon, Iowa, on Friday after train tracks collapsed in the flood-saturated ground.