Rock Valley Mayor, Kevin Van Otterloo says he is more than satisfied with the response from the railroad following the derailment of tanker cars and the release of crude oil upstream of the city Friday near Doon.
A spokesman for the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad says 14 of the 32 cars leaked around 230-thousand gallons of oil. The took action to contain what they could and the cleanup efforts continue. There was a concern the oil would contaminate Rock Valley’s well field where the city draws water — but Van Otterloo says they remain contaminate free.
The D-N-R, E-P-A, and the railroad will all conduct tests of the well sites Van Otterloo says he is also happy with the state, county, and local agencies that responded to help residents. He says this flooding is not as bad as the record flooding that hit the northwest Iowa community in 2014. He says it has a different type of impact and damage.
Some 75 homes in Rock Valley were evacuated Sunday night in the northern part of the town when more heavy rains threatened.
