DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7wm37pw2c
title: Determining reasonable response actions following a fly ash spill in the headwaters of Banff National Park, Canada

description: It can be challenging for practitioners to determine reasonable response
 actions following an environmental spill because there are risks
 associated with the recovery process, acute constraints on time, and few
 case studies available from antecedent events. Here, we evaluate
 environmental risk using a screening level assessment (SLA) and describe
 risk management actions during the response phase of a train derailment
 that released 600 tonnes of fly ash into a headwater creek in Banff
 National Park, Canada. Trace metal concentrations, and physico-chemical
 parameters from downstream of the derailment site were compared to
 Canadian environmental quality guidelines and upstream reference values.
 There was a 1 to 2.2-fold exceedance of sediment quality guidelines (As,
 Cd and Se) as well as a 3.6 to 17.5-fold exceedance of water quality
 guidelines (Al, Cd, Fe and turbidity) downstream of the train derailment.
 Despite uncertainty about site-specific toxicity when using a SLA, we did
 require the removal of the settled fly ash from the creek based on the
 multiple exceedances of guidelines, regulatory context, wilderness setting
 and potential contribution to cumulative effects downstream. Case studies
 that evaluate risk and describe risk management actions help practitioners
 make consistent and efficient decisions during the response phase of a
 spill.
description: The methods of data collection are given in more detail within
 the accompanying peer-reviewed article. Abbreviated version
 here:   At approximately 03:00 on December 26, 2014, a
 train derailment occurred on the transcontinental rail line at a stream
 crossing at the west end of the Town of Banff, in Banff National Park, AB,
 Canada. The derailment released 600 tonnes of fly ash and a carload of
 soybeans into Forty-Mile Creek, a fourth-order valley-bottom creek that
 meanders through montane forests. Forty-Mile Creek enters the Bow River
 300 m downstream of the derailment site. The Bow River is a fifth-order
 river that originates from the glacier-fed Bow Lake at the continental
 divide. The discharge of the Bow River is approximately 20 times greater
 than the discharge in Forty-Mile Creek during baseflow conditions. Based
 on the product MSDS and fly ash literature, we identified a list of
 sediment and water trace metals in addition to water physico-chemical
 parameters as contaminants of potential concern (COPCs).
 We sampled fly ash by scooping material directly from the rail
 car into a 500 mL polypropylene container. Twelve spatially replicated
 sediment samples were collected once, two weeks following the incident
 (January 1<sup>st</sup>, 2015), from a 200 m reach immediately
 downstream of the derailment site (S-DN1<sub>40Mile</sub> to
 S-DN12<sub>40Mile</sub>). Twelve samples were also collected
 from an upstream reference reach, randomly spaced starting at 500 m
 upstream and ending at 1.5 km upstream of the derailment site
 (S-RF1<sub>40Mile</sub> to
 S-RF12<sub>40Mile</sub>; Figure 1), but downstream of the
 landfill and dam. Samples were located by walking back and forth in the
 vicinity of each site over the frozen river and stopping randomly at
 sampling locations within the reach. The ice was cored using a 20-cm dia.
 hand ice auger (Nils; U.S.). Sediment was collected by reaching through
 30–90 cm of water and scooping surface sediment (approx. top 10 cm layer)
 into a 500 mL polypropylene container. The contents were then immediately
 dumped into a polypropylene bag provided by the analytical laboratory
 (Maxxam Environmental Services, Calgary, AB). The following trace metals
 were analysed from the fly ash using inductively coupled plasma/mass
 spectrometry (ICP-MS; Agilent 7700 ICPMS): Ag, Al, As, soluble Boron (B),
 Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cr<sup>6+</sup>, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb,
 Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, U, V, Zn. Sediment concentrations of the same trace metals
 were also analysed using ICP-MS, but due to an error, Al and Fe were not
 included in the testing package. Samples were dried at 55°C, sieved and
 digested in a nitric-hydrochloric acid and de-ionized water mixture to
 solubilize the solid matter and remove organic material.   
 We sampled and metered water daily on Forty-Mile Creek starting
 at 14:00 on December 27<sup>th</sup>, 2014, thirty-three hours
 following the train derailment, until January 2<sup>nd</sup>,
 2015. We sampled daily again for one week, beginning on January
 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2015, five weeks following the incident. We
 sampled daily for one week, again a third time, beginning on March
 14<sup>th</sup>, 2015, fourteen weeks following the incident.
 Water was sampled from a site 150 m downstream from the derailment site
 (W-DN1<sub>40Mile</sub>), 300 m downstream of the derailment
 site (W-DN2<sub>40Mile</sub>) and a reference site 1.7 km
 upstream of the derailment, but downstream of the landfill and dam
 (W-RF<sub>40Mile</sub>; Figure 1). Water was also sampled and
 metered from the Bow River at the same schedule as Forty-Mile Creek, from
 sites 800 m downstream of the derailment site
 (W-DN1<sub>Bow</sub>), 17 km downstream of the derailment site
 (W-DN2<sub>Bow</sub>), and an upstream reference site 9.2 km
 upstream of the derailment site (W-RF<sub>Bow</sub>; Figure
 1). Selection of sampling sites included consideration of road
 accessibility because sampling occurred during winter. Therefore, we
 sampled water from all sites at least once/day for a total of 21 days.
 Water samples were collected by wading into the water while moving away
 from the shoreline and plunging 250 ml high-density polyethylene bottles,
 provided by the laboratory (Maxxam Environmental Services, Calgary, AB),
 into the water facing upstream. Bottles were rinsed with the flowing water
 three times before taking the samples. Water samples were analyzed for the
 following trace metals based on a general total metals package: Al, Ag,
 As, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr<sub>, </sub>Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg,
 Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb,
 Se<sub>, </sub>Si,<sub> </sub>Sn, Sr, Tl, Ti, U,
 V, Zn<sub> </sub>using ICP-MS and –OES (Varian Vista Pro
 ICPOES and Agilent 7700 ICPMS) by Maxxam Analytics (Calgary, Alberta,
 Canada). However, not all these trace metals were evaluated (See Initial
 Testing Program below). We also recorded physico-chemical parameters
 (turbidity and pH) using a portable device (YSI ProDSS multiparameter
 meter; YSI Incorporated, Yellow Springs, OH, U.S.) at W-DN1, W-DN2 and
 W-RF in both Forty-Mile Creek and the Bow River at the time of water
 sampling.
description: # Determining reasonable response actions following a fly ash spill in the
 headwaters of Banff National Park, Canada
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7wm37pw2c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7wm37pw2c) ## Description of the data and file structure * Current Version: 1.0.0 * Date: 2024-06-26 * Persistent identifier: DOI: [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bw4w(opens in new window)](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bw4w) * Summary of changes: n/a * Embargo Provenance: n/a * Scope of embargo: n/a * Embargo period: n/a * Dataset Title: Data for: Determining reasonable response actions following a fly ash spill in the headwaters of Banff National Park, Canada * Creators: Mark K. Taylor * Publisher: Parks Canada * License: Use of these data is covered by the following license: * Title: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) * Specification: [https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/(opens in new window)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/); the author respectfully request to be contacted by researchers interested in the re-use of these data so that the possibility of collaboration can be discussed. * Dataset citation: Taylor MK. 2024. Data for: Determining reasonable response actions following a fly ash spill in the headwaters of Banff National Park, Canada, Dryad, Dataset, DOI: [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bw4w(opens in new window)](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bw4w) * Corresponding publication: Taylor MK, H Irwin, GT Tomy, F Irvine, M Yole, S Despatie, and K Liber. 2024. Determining reasonable response actions following a fly ash spill in the headwaters of Banff National Park, Canada. Facets. Accepted. ### Dates and Locations * Dates of data collection: Field data collected between December 2014 and March 2015 * Geographic locations of data collection: Fieldwork conducted in Forty-Mile Creek and Bow River, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada (see publication for more details) * Other locations pertaining to dataset contents: Laboratory work performed at Maxxam Analytics, Calgary, Alberta, Canada ### Methodological Information The methods of data collection are given in more detail within the accompanying peer-reviewed article. Abbreviated version here: At approximately 03:00 on December 26, 2014, a train derailment occurred on the transcontinental rail line at a stream crossing at the west end of the Town of Banff, in Banff National Park, AB, Canada. The derailment released 600 tonnes of fly ash and a carload of soybeans into Forty-Mile Creek, a fourth-order valley-bottom creek that meanders through montane forests. Forty-Mile Creek enters the Bow River 300 m downstream of the derailment site. The Bow River is a fifth-order river that originates from the glacier-fed Bow Lake at the continental divide. The discharge of the Bow River is approximately 20 times greater than the discharge in Forty-Mile Creek during baseflow conditions. Based on the product MSDS and fly ash literature, we identified a list of sediment and water trace metals in addition to water physico-chemical parameters as contaminants of potential concern (COPCs). We sampled fly ash by scooping material directly from the rail car into a 500 mL polypropylene container. Twelve spatially replicated sediment samples were collected once, two weeks following the incident (January 1st, 2015), from a 200 m reach immediately downstream of the derailment site (S-DN140Mile to S-DN1240Mile). Twelve samples were also collected from an upstream reference reach, randomly spaced starting at 500 m upstream and ending at 1.5 km upstream of the derailment site (S-RF140Mile to S-RF1240Mile; Figure 1), but downstream of the landfill and dam. Samples were located by walking back and forth in the vicinity of each site over the frozen river and stopping randomly at sampling locations within the reach. The ice was cored using a 20-cm dia. hand ice auger (Nils; U.S.). Sediment was collected by reaching through 30-90 cm of water and scooping surface sediment (approx. top 10 cm layer) into a 500 mL polypropylene container. The contents were then immediately dumped into a polypropylene bag provided by the analytical laboratory (Maxxam Environmental Services, Calgary, AB). The following trace metals were analysed from the fly ash using inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP-MS; Agilent 7700 ICPMS): Ag, Al, As, soluble Boron (B), Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cr6+, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, U, V, Zn. Sediment concentrations of the same trace metals were also analysed using ICP-MS, but due to an error, Al and Fe were not included in the testing package. Samples were dried at 55°C, sieved and digested in a nitric-hydrochloric acid and de-ionized water mixture to solubilize the solid matter and remove organic material. We sampled and metered water daily on Forty-Mile Creek starting at 14:00 on December 27th, 2014, thirty-three hours following the train derailment, until January 2nd, 2015. We sampled daily again for one week, beginning on January 23rd, 2015, five weeks following the incident. We sampled daily for one week, again a third time, beginning on March 14th, 2015, fourteen weeks following the incident. Water was sampled from a site 150 m downstream from the derailment site (W-DN140Mile), 300 m downstream of the derailment site (W-DN240Mile) and a reference site 1.7 km upstream of the derailment, but downstream of the landfill and dam (W-RF40Mile; Figure 1). Water was also sampled and metered from the Bow River at the same schedule as Forty-Mile Creek, from sites 800 m downstream of the derailment site (W-DN1Bow), 17 km downstream of the derailment site (W-DN2Bow), and an upstream reference site 9.2 km upstream of the derailment site (W-RFBow; Figure 1). Selection of sampling sites included consideration of road accessibility because sampling occurred during winter. Therefore, we sampled water from all sites at least once/day for a total of 21 days. Water samples were collected by wading into the water while moving away from the shoreline and plunging 250 ml high-density polyethylene bottles, provided by the laboratory (Maxxam Environmental Services, Calgary, AB), into the water facing upstream. Bottles were rinsed with the flowing water three times before taking the samples. Water samples were analyzed for the following trace metals based on a general total metals package: Al, Ag, As, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Se, Si, Sn, Sr, Tl, Ti, U, V, Zn using ICP-MS and OES (Varian Vista Pro ICPOES and Agilent 7700 ICPMS) by Maxxam Analytics (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). However, not all these trace metals were evaluated (See Initial Testing Program below). We also recorded physico-chemical parameters (turbidity and pH) using a portable device (YSI ProDSS multiparameter meter; YSI Incorporated, Yellow Springs, OH, U.S.) at W-DN1, W-DN2 and W-RF in both Forty-Mile Creek and the Bow River at the time of water sampling. ### Data and File Overview * File count: 7 * Total file size: 186 KB * Range of individual file sizes: 1 - 44 KB * File formats: .csv and Word ### Table of Contents * FlyAsh_TraceMetals_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.csv * SedimentTraceMetals_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.csv * WaterMetering_Bow_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.csv * WaterMetering_FortyMile_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.csv * WaterTraceMetals_Bow_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.csv * WaterTraceMetals_FortyMile_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.csv * SupplementoryMaterial_TablesS1-S4_Tayloretal_FlyAshSpill_2024.docx ## File Details ### Details for: FlyAsh\_TraceMetals\_Tayloreteal\_FlyAshSpill\_2024.csv * Description: a comma-delimited file containing trace metal concentrations from one sample of fly ash taken from a rail car following the spill. * Format(s): .csv * Size(s): 1 KB * Dimensions: 24 rows x 3 columns * Variables: * Trace metal: the name of 23 unique trace metals * Concentration (mg/kg): concentrations of 23 unique trace metals in mg/kg * Reliable Detection Level (mg/kg): the lowest concentration of trace metal that can be reliably detected * Missing data codes: no missing data ### Details for: SedimentTraceMetals\_Tayloretal\_FlayAshSpill\_2024.csv * Description: a comma-delimited file containing trace metal concentrations from sediment sampled from twelve sites downstream of the derailment and twelve sites upstream of the derailment on Forty-Mile Creek, Banff, Alberta, Canada. * Format(s): .csv * Size(s): 5 KB * Dimensions: 24 rows x 44 columns * Variables: * Sample Date: The date that each site was sampled * Site: Site number * Position: The category for which comparisons were made; RF = upstream reference; DN = downstream of the derailment * Units: The units of measurement for trace metal concentrations * Columns E-AT: Concentrations and associated RDLs of sediment trace metals for 21 unique trace metals (mg/kg) * Reliable Detection Level (mg/kg): the lowest concentration of trace metal that can be reliably detected * Missing data codes: N/A ### Details for: WaterMetering\_Bow\_Tayloretal\_FlayAshSpill\_2024.csv * Description: a comma-delimited file containing physico-chemical concentrations from water sampled from two sites downstream of the derailment and one site upstream of the derailment, on the Bow River, Banff, Alberta, Canada. * Format(s): .csv * Size(s): 3 KB * Dimensions: 77 rows x 6 columns * Variables: * Sample Date: The date that each site was sampled * Time: The time that the sample was taken 24hr format * Site: Site name * Turbidity: Turbidity values in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) * pH: pH in relative logarithmic units * Conductivity: Conductivity in microsiemens per centimetre (?s/cm) * Missing data codes: N/A ### Details for: WaterMetering\_FortyMile\_Tayloretal\_FlayAshSpill\_2024.csv * Description: a comma-delimited file containing physico-chemical concentrations from water sampled from two sites downstream of the derailment and one site upstream of the derailment, on Forty-Mile Creek, Banff, Alberta, Canada. * Format(s): .csv * Size(s): 3 KB * Dimensions: 111 rows x 6 columns * Variables: * Sample Date: The date that each site was sampled * Time: The time that the sample was taken 24hr format * Site: Site name * Turbidity: Turbidity values in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) * pH: pH in relative logarithmic units * Conductivity: Conductivity in microsiemens per centimetre (µS/cm) ### Details for: WaterTraceMetals\_Bow\_Tayloretal\_FlayAshSpill\_2024.csv * Description: a comma-delimited file containing trace metal concentrations from water sampled from two sites downstream of the derailment and one site upstream of the derailment on the Bow River, Banff, Alberta, Canada. * Format(s): .csv * Size(s): 29 KB * Dimensions: 70 rows x 68 columns * Variables: * Sample Date: The date that each site was sampled * Site: Site number * Time: The time that the sample was taken 24hr format * Units: The units of measurement for trace metal concentrations * Columns E-BP: Concentrations and associated RDLs of water trace metals for 32 unique trace metals (mg/L) * Missing data codes: N/A ### Details for: WaterTraceMetals\_FortyMile\_Tayloretal\_FlayAshSpill\_2024.csv * Description: a comma-delimited file containing trace metal concentrations from water sampled from two sites downstream of the derailment and one site upstream of the derailment on Forty-Mile Creek, Banff, Alberta, Canada. * Format(s): .csv * Size(s): 35 KB * Dimensions: 79 rows x 68 columns * Variables: * Sample Date: The date that each site was sampled * Site: Site number * Time: The time that the sample was taken 24hr format * Units: The units of measurement for trace metal concentrations * Columns E-BP: Concentrations and associated RDLs of water trace metals for 32 unique trace metals (mg/L) * Missing data codes: N/A