Train wreck leaves foul stench [SIZE=-1]11:50 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 25, 2007[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By Jeremy Desel / 11 News[/SIZE] People move to West University for a quiet place to live. To live in a city within the city. What plenty of folks on Community Street have now reminds them of another place on the map. "I describe it to other people it’s like an Iowa Feed Lot,” said Joel Stelling. "The smell has gotten so disgusting,” said Alana Kirsch. It doesn't look much better. A now pungent mess. It came from six train cars that derailed in these back yards July 2. The derailment dumped tons of grain into people’s yards. The mess was just left, to rot. "I'm just concerned what this mix, what this mush it. As you can see, it is really polluted and it is not moving. It is just sitting behind out houses,” said Stelling. Kirsch used to be a stay at home mom with her young son. Now she is a stay in home mom because of the smell. "He (her son) won't leave the house now without a blanket over his head because he can't stand the smell. Then he runs to the car as fast as he can. I have to guide him,” she said. The railroad brought in heavy equipment to get the cars and much of the lost grain out. But they haven't been back in three weeks. "We do apologize for the inconvenience however, it has been raining. And the type of equipment we need to do the clean up it cannot be supported on the wet ground,” said James Barnes of Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad says that at least a week of dry weather will be needed before it can bring in equipment. That was not the answer residents are looking for. "You could just get a crew and clean it up do what you possibly could. Or at least make it seem like you are doing what you possibly can,” said Kirsch. E-mail 11 News reporter Jeremy Desel
Union Pacific quickens West U cleanup [SIZE=-1]09:20 PM CDT on Friday, July 27, 2007 [/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By Jeremy Desel / 11 News[/SIZE] Folks who live in a West University neighborhood where a train derailment a couple a weeks ago are breathing a bit easier, even if the smell is still somewhat pungent. Earlier this week 11 News reported on the mess still left in West University after the train derailment. Tons of wheat spilled into people’s yards and much of it was left behind and had been rotting ever since. Now, after 11 News’ report, Union Pacific is working to clean up the mess even though it claimed the ground was still too wet to get the proper equipment in to do the work. The railroad is bringing in vacuum cars to work from the track to suck up the grain. The railroad company will also replace the soil. Union Pacific hopes to have the work done by Sunday. E-mail 11 News reporter Jeremy Desel
CSX had a derailment south of Louisville last winter. The RR tried to clean it up but there was a fire and chemical spill involved. Theres still a strong smell when you drive by.
Doesn't sound like they actually got it cleaned up. If you can still smell it, more needs to be done. :sad: Boxcab E50
The UP is not going to do much of anything they don't feel they have to do without a fight. I would encourage these people to place daily phone calls to Omaha until they get the grain picked up.
The first rule, of cleaning up anything that has a noxious smell is: Remove the source of the odor and it won't smell / stink. The same is true with anything Hazmat. It would be safe to say, "If it still stinks the spill hasn't been cleaned up sufficently / completely".
