Authorities say a lot of work remains after train cars containing asphalt, molten sulfur and metal derailed in Stillwater County Saturday morning and fell into the Yellowstone River.
The EPA says it received information from Montana Rail Link that the failure of the Twin Bridges Railroad bridge near Reed Point caused the derailment of a total 55 cars, 10 of which hit water.
Federal, state and local agencies are responding and say train contents that fell into the river are not water soluble and are not believed to be a threat to drinking water. Water quality sampling is being conducted, and preliminary results show that neither petroleum hydrocarbons nor sulfur are affecting water quality.
In a Monday afternoon press release, authorities say Montana Rail Link is working to find different traffic routes to avoid supply chain disruptions caused by the derailment.
Contractors, a crane and a dive crew are on site to assist with car removal and recovery.
Derailment damages fiber optic lines
A Sunday statement from Montana Rail Link says the derailment damaged a fiber line, and Sprint and contractors are working to repair it. According to Missoula County, some departments and phone lines are experiencing issues due to that damage.
Internet service provider Global Net said the cable provided internet service to many of its customers in Montana.
Missoula County is reporting service disruptions.
Missoula County Department of Emergency Services director Adriane Beck said the wreck partially damaged fiber cable hung on the collapsed railroad bridge in Stillwater County.
Beck said the service disruption is not impacting incoming 911 calls. However intermittent issues with outbound calls made from some landlines within the county are being reported.
County spokesperson Allison Franz said the cable connected various communications carriers together.
Officials said work is being done to restore full phone capacity, but there is no estimated time for when that work will be completed.
