Fear of rail accidents near Ramsey Lake prompts new spill policies
Areas vulnerable to spills to be mapped, prioritized for containment and clean-up
New measures are being put in place to protect Ramsey Lake from contamination in case a train accident spills hazardous material into the water.
Trains frequently travel on the edge of Ramsey Lake, which is one of Sudbury’s main drinking water sources. The lake supplies water to more than 40,000 people.
Sudbury's Drinking Water Source Protection Committee has drafted policies to map areas that are particularly vulnerable to spills. The hope is to prioritize clean-up efforts in case of an emergency.
According to a spokesperson for CP Rail, the goods that that travel by train through Sudbury include:
- Fertilizer and other chemicals
- Grain
- Forest Products
- Food and consumer goods
- Automotive products and supplies
- Mining products and supplies
Nels Conroy, chair of the committee, said there are already protocols in place to provide drinking water from elsewhere in the event of a spill.
But Conroy said the damage from a railroad spill could go far beyond the tap.
"Swimming might be prohibited, boating might be prohibited, fishing might be prohibited. . . The scope is unlimited to what the uses are of Ramsey Lake,” he said.
Charles Ramcharan, a professor at Laurentian University’s School of the Environment and Living with Lakes Centre, said more should be done to protect Ramsey Lake. He said railway tracks should being moved out of the city altogether.
"Rail accidents are not infrequent, and it's only a matter of time before we get something like this happening in Ramsey Lake,” Ramcharan said.
He also said he's not just worried about fuels and obvious toxins getting into the water—but any possible contaminants that could have long term effects on the environment.
“If you have a load of oats or wheat or something, that's a major organic input into this ecosystem,” he said.
“That's going to be really difficult to clean out. It's got to be dredged from the lake for removal, and then what's left there is going to decompose. So no matter what you throw into the system, it's going to be a problem.”
According to a handout from Sudbury's Drinking Water Source Protection Committee, both "Greater Sudbury and the municipality of Markstay-Warren will update their Emergency Management Plans to include mapping out the vulnerable areas and plans for spills response near municipal wells and surface water intakes".
The committee's policies are expected to be implemented in April 2016.