Train Derailment in Wetteren: Crisis Management and Environmental Impact Analysis

1. Wetteren: a train is derailed Wilfried Van den Acker Crisismanager FlemishMinistry of Environment, Nature and Energy

2. Wetteren: a train is derailed • Scenario • Intervention • Involvement of the FlemishMinistry of Environment, Nature and Energy • Conclusion

3. Wetteren: a train is derailed • The scenario: release anddiffusion • 4th May 2013, 02:00u: derailment of a freight train • Railway Wetteren – Schellebelle

4. Wetteren: scenario Railway network:

5. Wetteren: scenario

6. Wetteren: scenario Schelde Natural reserve Wetteren centre train Purification plant forsewage Pumpinginstallationforsewage water

7. Wetteren: scenario • 5 rail tankers witheachapproximately 60 ton acrylonitril • Extremelyflammable • Extremelytoxic, release of cyanide after intake in human body • Degradationbyfire: release of hydrocyanic acid andnitriousgasses • Classificied as possiblycarcinogenic. • 2 rail tankers witheachapproximately60 ton butadiene • Extremelyflammable • Cancausecancer • 5 empty railwagons • 1 wagon with 2 containers tri-ethylaluminium (TEAL) • Ignitespontaneously on contact with air • Reactsviolentlywith water • Corrosive

8. Wetteren: scenario

9. Wetteren: scenario Pathwaydangeroussubstancesafter release: • Surface water: • Through rainwatercanalalong the railwayto the Grotevijverbeek, a small riverthatflowsto the river Schelde • Through rainwatercanalalong the railwayto a pumpfacilityforsewage water • Sewerage: • From the pumpfacilityforsewage water through the sewerageto the purification plant of Aquafin • Air: fluegassesreleasedfrom the fire • Soil • Groundwater

10. Wetteren: scenario Pathwaysurface water

11. Wetteren: scenario Pathwaysurfacewater: Grote Vijverbeek

12. Wetteren: scenario Pathwaysewerage: pumpinstallationthroughsewerage of Wetteren to the purification plan at the other side of Wtteren

13. Wetteren: scenario Pathway air: Plume direction Wichelen

14. Wetteren: scenario Pathwaysoil: • Directlybyrainwatercanalaside the railway • fall-out smoke

15. Wetteren: scenario Pathwaygroundwater: ground-water flow in the direction of the Schelde

16. Wetteren: a train is derailed 2. The Intervention • Emergency planning in Belgium • Emergency planning in Wetteren • Interventionstrategy

17. Wetteren: intervention Emergency planning in Belgium • Structure Belgium: different levels of policy: • Federal • Regional • Provincial • Municipal

18. Wetteren: intervention Royal decree on emergency planning: • 3 levels of coördination: • municipal: mayor, • provincial: governor • federal: minister of Home Affairs • 5 disciplines: • discipline 1: firebrigade • discipline 2: medical treatment • discipline 3: police • discipline 4: logistic support • discipline 5: information andcommunication

19. Wetteren: intervention Emergencyduring the incident in Wetteren: • Municipalscale, later provincialscale • Fire fighting: • Intervention: • Railtankers with acrylnitril + wagon withbutadienecontroledburn out • Coolingother wagons • Fumegassescapturedwith water curtain • Protection of habitants: • Evacuationriskzone 500m • Stayinside zone 500m – 1.000m • Close windows en doors in Wetteren, SerskampandSchellebelle

20. Wetteren: intervention Protectionzones:

21. Wetteren: intervention - Pollutionsurfacewater: dam on Grote Vijverbeek

22. Wetteren: intervention - Fumes in the sewerage:

23. Wetteren: intervention - Fumes in the sewerage • Intervention: • Closingpumpinstallation • Stop emission of the purificationplant • Collection contaminatedsewage water in basin • Flushing sewerage • Transport contaminated water withboatsto waste processing facility • Protectionhabitants: • Area of evacationexpands: 1.700 habitantsleavetheirhouses • Continous monitoring of fumes in the sewerageandabovesurface water

24. Wetteren: intervention - Removal train: • Intervention: • Flaring second railwagon withbutadiene • Removenotderailed wagons • Construction of a roadto the place of accident • Cutting of the wagonwrecksandremovingscrap • Protectionhabitants: • Safety zone smaller to 250m • Continous monitoring of fumes in the sewerage and above surface water

25. Wetteren: intervention - Flaring second wagon withbutadiene

26. Wetteren: intervention - Removingnot-derailed wagons

27. Wetteren: intervention - Construction roadtoplace of wreck:

28. Wetteren: intervention - Afterremoval train wreck: • Intervention: • Monitoring airquality in housesand on the site of the accident • Protectionhabitants: • Return of the evacuatedpeople - End of crisisalert: 22th May 2013

29. Wetteren: a train is derailed 3. Environmental aspect: the role of the environmental services • The Flemishgovernment • Structureandcompetence • The ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy • The script on environmentalincidents • Environmental services envolved • Department Environment, Nature and Energy (DLNE): crisismanager, communication service, services • Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) • Public Flemish Agency for Waste (OVAM) • Agency for Nature andForest (ANB) and the Research Institutefor Nature andForest • OtherFlemish services: Flemish Agency for Care and Health, health inspection (TOVO)

30. Wetteren: environmental aspect The Flemishgovernment: structureandcompetence 13 policy area’s: • Services for the General Government Policy • Public Governance • Finance and Budget • FlemishForeignAffairs • Economy, ScienceandInnovation • Educationand Training • Welfare, Public Health and Family • Culture, Youth, Sport and Media • WorkandSocialEconomy • AgricultureandFisheries • Environment, Nature and Energy • Mobilityand Public Works • SpatialPlanning, Housing Policy andImmovable Heritage

31. Wetteren: environmental aspect Ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy:

32. Wetteren: environmental aspect Ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy: - Departement Environment, Nature and Energy: preparing, following up and evaluating the Flemish environmental policy

33. Wetteren: environmental aspect Ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy: • Agency for Nature andForests Policy, sustainable management of natureandforestsandinspection of nature • Research Institute for Nature and Forest Research andknowledgecentrefornature en the sustainable management en use of nature • Public Flemish Agency for Waste • Sustainable management of waste andmaterials • Prevention of soilpollution • Management of soildecontamination • Flemish Environment Agency • Prevention, mitigationandremediation of • lethaleffects in watersystems • Pollution of the atmosphere • Reporting on the condition of the enverionment • Integrated waterpolicy

34. Wetteren: environmentalaspects Ministry of Environment, Nature and Energy: - The script on environmentalincidents • purpose: • Coördination of the environmental services of the ministry of Environment, Nature andEnergyduringduringenvironmentalincidents • Crisiscommunication • How does itoperate? • Crisismanager: • Management of the script (information of correspondents, procedures) • Internalcommunication • Crisiscommunicator: • Externalcommunication • Appointmentdepending on the type of incident

35. Wetteren: environmentalaspects Environmental services thatwereinvolved • Departement of Environment, Nature and Energy • Crisismanager: • Warnedbythe Flemish Environment Agency on May 4th • Notification the theMinistrial Cabinet, the Department, the agency for waste, the agency for Nature andForestsand the research Institutefornatureandforests • Present in the crisiscentre of the governor • Consultationwith: • Governor of East-Flanders • Communication services of East-Flandersand Wetteren • Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain • Federal Public Service on Health • Service Zeeschelde (managening the river Schelde) • Aquafin (purification plant) • …

36. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Crisismanager: • Issues at the crisiscentre: • Prohibitionforfishingandboats on the river Schelde • Prohibitionforbikingandwalking on the dike of the river Schelde • The use of rainwater • The use of groundwater • The disposalof grassfrommowing • Disposal of food from the houses of the peoplewhowereevacuated • The presence of perfluorotenside in the contaminated water • Engaging a firmfor the treatment of the contaminated water • Prohibition of sheeps in the nature area De Blakken • Ecotoxicologic research on deathanimals found in the neighbourhood of the Grotevijversbeek

37. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Crisiscommunicator • Communication service of DLNE assigned • Coöperationwith the spokespersons of the otherenvironmental services • pressreleases (onlyaftervalidationby the governor): • May 6th 2013: ‘environmental crisisteam follows up the situationin Wetteren’ • May 8th 2013: ANB: ‘prohibition on fishing in the river Schelde in the neighbourhood of Wetteren’ • May 8th 2013: OVAM: ‘first sampling of soil on the site of the accident in Wetteren’ • May 8th 2013: VMM: ‘Quality of the suface water’ • May 9th 2013: VMM en TOVO: ‘the use of ground water in Wetteren’ • May 10th 2013: VMM en TOVO: ‘rainwatercanbeusedforlaundering’

38. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Crisiscommunicator • Pressreleases (aftervalidationbythe governor): • May 10th 2013: VMM: ‘update quality of surface water’ • May 10th 2013: INBO: ‘no loss on fauna en flora’ • May 10th 2013: OVAM: ‘provisionalresults of sampling the soil in Wetteren indicate no pollution’ • May 11th 2013: VMM: ‘update quality of surfacewater’’ • May 12th 2013: INBO: ‘update fauna andflora’ • May 14 th2013: INBO: ‘updatefauna en flora’ • May 15th 2013: OVAM: ‘Update results of sampling the soil in Wetteren’ • May 15th 2013: INBO: ‘update fauna en flora’ • May 21th 2013: OVAM: ‘Green light forsafetymeasuresforsoil in Wetteren’ • May 29th 2013: ANB: ‘End Prohibitionforfishing in river Schelde’

39. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Department Environment, Nature and Energy • Service Legal affairs • Assembling a legal file • Recover the costs made by the ministryfrom the responsible • Service Air, Nuisance, Risk Management, Environment and Health • With health inspection: research for human biomonitoring (follow up, initiative: Federal Public Service on Health)

40. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Department Environment, Nature and Energy • Environmentalinspectorate • Notdirectlyinvolved: transportaccident • Controls doneby: • Treatmentplant contaminatedsoil • Treatmentplant contaminated water • Scrap plant

41. Wetteren: het milieuaspect • Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) • Service reporting water: • First contact (manager forriversnotusefor watertransport) • Monitoring surfacewater: daily sampling • Grote Vijverbeek: beforeandafter the dam • Molenbeek: at the point of discharge of the watertreatmentplant of Aquafin • Severalsamplingpoints on the Schelde

42. Wetteren: het milieuaspect monitoring surfacewater

43. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • monitoring surfacewater • Most importants parameters: • Acrylnitril: • 5 – 10 mg/l: significant dying of fish • 17 µg/l: no effect on the long term is tobeexpected • Total cyanide: • Quality standard forsurface water: 75 µg/l • Results: • Downstream the point of discharge of the watertreatmentfacility of Aquafin: negligible • Severalmeasureponts on the Schelde: negligible

44. Wetteren: environmentalaspects - monitoring surfacewater • Grote Vijverbeek: • upstream dam: • Downstream dam: increase acylnitril on May 5th to 480 µg/l, later negligible

45. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Flemish Environment Agency (VMM): • Service Operational watermanagement: • Controle groundwaterextraction • Zone of attention:

46. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Public Flemish Agency for Waste: • Service Waste andMaterials: • Treatment contaminated water: • Research fortreatmentfacilities(treatment, transport, port authorities of Gent andAntwerp) • Treatment finishedJune 11th at TWZ in Gent • Disposal of waste: • Grass frommowing: separate collection at the municipal waste recycle centre • Possiblycontaminated food (notcoveredduring the incident): separate collection

47. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Public Flemish Agency for Waste: • Service forintervention, removalandsanitation • Service forsoilmanagement • Research pollution of the soil: • Follow-up the soilinvestigationby expert Infrabel • Engage expert for second opinion • Safety measurements: • Excavatecontaminatedsoilnear the place of the accident andGrote Vijverbeek • Install drains, pumpingand cleaning groundwater • Evaluatedegree of pollution in soilandgroundwater

48. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Public Flemish Agency for Waste:

49. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Public Flemish Agency for Waste: Actual state of pollution of the soil: • At the place of the accident: someconcentration of acrylnitril inside the zone coveredby the drains • Sludge in canalsandcreeksremoved • No contamination found dueto the parameters of the foamusedduring the intervention • Expert is writing report describingactualcondition of the soil

50. Wetteren: environmentalaspects • Agency for Nature andForests: • victim: • Zone of important naturalvalue in effectzone • Advisingauthority: • Closing the floodplain downstream the river Schelde • Prohibitionforfishing on the river Schelde in May • Research Institute for Nature and Forest: • Daily monitoring of fishkill on the Scchelde: none • Adviceabout the effects of acrylnitril on waterorganismsbased on internationalexpertise • Fish killtobeexpectedfrom 10 ppm acrylnitril • No effectstobeexpected in the sludge of the Schelde • Acrylnitril disappearsfrom water after3 à 4 weken: temporarly effect on flora en fauna is tobeexpected • Toxicologic research on dead ducs: no link is found with the accident