What was spilled?
The incident occurred in the early morning hours of August 5, 2005 and resulted in the derailment of eight empty centre beam lumber cars and one loaded tank car. An estimated 41,000 litres of sodium hydroxide leaked into the Cheakamus River. The product, also known as caustic soda, is used in the manufacturing of a wide range of industrial and consumer products such as soap, toothpaste and, in higher concentrations, drain clearing products. It is completely soluble in water and resulted in a rapid increase in pH to levels toxic to aquatic organisms. The product flowed to Howe Sound allowing the pH in the Cheakamus River to return to background levels on the same day. Once diluted, sodium hydroxide is not persistent and does not remain in the environment.
