CARLISLE, Iowa — 20 cars from a Union Pacific train derailed Friday evening about one mile east of Carlisle where the tracks cross the Middle River, according to Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Many of the cars contained either lumber, corn oil, corn syrup and polyethylene pellets. One car carrying pellets slid down the riverbank and leaked pellets into the river, the DNR said.
Hazmat teams were on site Saturday morning and set up a device around the cars trapping the pellets from floating downstream into the Des Moines River. Some pellets, however, made it the river. But the DNR has found no environmental impact.
A car carrying about 30,000 gallons of corn syrup leaked and soaked into the ground. The DNR said none of it has reached the river as of Monday afternoon, and clean-up will be challenging due to all the trees.
The DNR is also on site Monday to monitor the spills for any more environmental impacts.
