Water tests continue after derailment, fuel spill in Kamloops Lake

Drinking water isn’t expected to be contaminated by jet fuel in Kamloops Lake, but authorities will keep monitoring after a more than a dozen train cars derailed.

Thompson-Nicola Regional District director Michael Grenier scanned the scene on Monday, Nov. 3, as crews worked to contain the spill. He said downstream communities aren’t currently at-risk.

“From the Ministry of Environment and our concern for constituents, we want to ensure any escaped fuel isn’t threatening any water intake for communities that take water from Kamloops Lake or the Thompson River,” he said. “Even though that’s a remote thing, nobody thinks it’s going to be a problem, we’ll trust but verify.”

Just how much spilled isn’t clear, but crews at the scene had to expand containment booms after the petroleum sheen atop the water was seen beyond its initial limits, according to the BC Ministry of Environment.

The Canadian Pacific Kansas City train derailed along the lake around 7 p.m., Nov. 1. Just west of Kamloops, a locomotive and 17 cars spilled over the embankment.

Some were empty cars, but five carried gypsum, one carried pulp products and four were loaded with jet fuel.

A multi-agency response including ministry staff, Interior health, Transport Canada, Skeetchestn First Nation and the regional district are collaborating in the clean-up job.

It’s not far from where more than a dozen empty coal cars derailed near Tobiano two months ago. What caused either of the derailments isn’t clear, but Grenier said CPKC staff suspect the current incident was likely caused by a rockfall.

Grenier has lived in the area for three decades and couldn’t recall any in the area before this year.

“We had a few days of water which they think dislodged a rock, which caused the derailment. I asked if the two derailments were related, and they couldn’t answer that. They didn’t know the cause of the original derailment,” he said.

The rail company didn’t comment on a suspected cause, but spokesperson Terry Cunha did say the line was reopened on Nov. 3 after track repairs and safety inspections.

“We hope we get another 30-year stretch without another derailment. I’m sure CPKC, who have deployed enormous assets and personnel to deal with the clean-up, would rather not have that expenditure,” Grenier said. “We’d rather not have that derailment into Kamloops Lake and constituents would not like to have that concern about water sources.”

Results are pending from Sunday’s downstream water sampling, with more samples taken on Monday, according to the Ministry of Environment.