Resident concerned after diesel spill at rail yard in Golden, B.C.
Ministry says no impact to waterways from Thursday spill at CPKC Rail yard near Columbia River
The British Columbia environment ministry says up to 25,000 litres of diesel was spilled after a Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Rail train collided with a fuel tanker near the Southern Interior community of Golden, B.C. on Thursday morning.
The collision took place at the CPKC Rail yard, located south of the community near the Columbia River.
According to a ministry spokesperson, the spill was contained within the rail yard and there are no reports of waterways being impacted.
"Ministry environmental emergency response officers have attended to assess and continue monitor clean up," read a statement on Saturday.
A spokesperson for CPKC, formerly Canadian Pacific Railway, said that the tanker was operated by a third party, and there were no injuries or derailments that occurred as a result of the collision.
While the spill happened on Thursday, the lack of a public statement from authorities is leaving some community members on edge.
"It really seems like something nefarious is going on," said Jessica, a resident of Golden, a community of around 3,700 in the Kootenay region known for its proximity to national parks.
CBC News has agreed not to use Jessica's last name, as she fears speaking publicly could risk the jobs of her family members who work at CPKC.
"I think, preemptively, a statement to support and comfort the citizens of our community would have been much better than the response that we've gotten, which is no response at all," she said.
Jessica posted a TikTok of the rail yard and the spill on Saturday, which has gained over 23,000 views as of 10 a.m. Sunday.
The resident says that members of the community have little trust in CPKC after they were fined $31,500 in 2018 by the environment ministry for improper effluent discharges from wastewater treatment plants that flowed into the Columbia River.
"Being that it is a diesel spill, I know it's not as difficult to mitigate as, say, an oil spill would be," she said. "But it still impacts our community, it impacts our waterways and our wildlife, and there's checks and balances and regulations that locals have to adhere to.
"It's difficult to see that CP Rail is not held ... to the same standards that the local community members are."