Investigation reveals broken track caused train derailment near Wallula

WALLA WALLA — Cleanup efforts to remove diesel fuel spilled into the Columbia River near Wallula continued Tuesday, according to a Washington Department of Ecology spokesperson.

The diesel was spilled early Nov. 6 when a Union Pacific freight train derailed just south of Wallula.

Stephanie May, a communications manager for the department, said an investigation found the derailment was caused by a broken train track.

May said cleanup efforts are progressing.

“Ecology responders are still on site and they’re continuing to monitor the incident,” May said. “Right now, it sounds like the cleanup contractors replaced the inner and outer soft booms, and they’re also collecting any impacted debris or driftwood.”

She said the term “impacted” refers to debris or driftwood that has diesel fuel on it.

“The contractors are going to continue to use a low-pressure water spray, and they use that to clean the contaminated vegetation along the riverbank that we can’t remove mechanically.”

May said an estimated 1,400 gallons of diesel spilled into the river.

“But that number could be updated in the next couple of days,” she said, adding that there is no timeline for when the cleanup efforts will be finished.

“We just want to make sure that it all gets cleaned up properly.,” she said.