Remediation specialists are trying to contain a 7,000 gallon diesel spill in the Missoula rail yard.
Montana Rail Link detected the spill on Monday and issued a public announcement Thursday.
By Friday afternoon, cleanup crews had excavated 1,100 yards of contaminated soil. There is continued concern over whether the spill might affect Missoula’s aquifer.
Travis Ross is an Environmental Health Specialist with the Missoula County Health Department.
"The aquifer is contaminated in that particular location due to historical releases, fuel releases, on that site. Whether this particular spill gets to the aquifer, remains to be seen," Ross said.
Nearly all of Montana’s rail yards are considered Superfund sites, due to decades of fuel spills and the use of chemicals during maintenance that have contaminated the ground.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will lead an investigation into the incident, with the help of local agencies.