BLAINE, Wash. — Investigators have determined that nearly 30,000 gallons of oil leaked from train cars during the December 22nd Custer derailment.
The state Department of Ecology reported 5,400 to 8,000 gallons of the highly-flammable oil were unrecovered.
Crews installed a bioventing system that increases oxygen in the ground and will consume leftover hydrocarbons over time.
The DOE told The Northern Light that the system is not guaranteed to clean up all of the contamination, but has been used successfully to clean up other oil spills.
Ecology’s says the cleanup process will take years until fully complete.
Authorities have still not announced what caused the train to derail in Custer.