ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will be accepting public comment from now until Friday on a train derailment that led to a coal spill into the Roanoke River in 2020.
The incident happened on Oct. 30, 2020, at the Barley Drive trestle west of Salem, according to documents.
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Officials confirmed to 10 News that in the train derailment, 26 coal hopper rail cars were loaded with 2,600 tons of coal and a pollutant and said that ultimately, 16 rail cars and an unknown amount of coal ended up in the Roanoke River. Documents show that as a result of the spill, there was coal accumulation beyond the Salem Water Treat Plant intake, roughly 3.4 miles downstream. Documents also revealed that notable deposits of fill material could be seen for about 6.5 miles to the Salem Rotary Park area.
Now, the department is seeking enforcement action against Norfolk Southern for violations of state law pertaining to the pollution of water. The full order with a detailed explanation of the violations can be found here.
If you would like to voice your thoughts and/or concerns, email Dan Burstein at the DEQ Central Office.