A sheen was seen down river as far away as Brattleboro. Cleanup efforts were helped in part by warm, sunny weather that evaporated some of the fuel that escaped the containment booms and a river moving very swiftly because of the springtime snowmelt. That served to dilute the diesel fuel in the environment. The cleanup costs will be borne by the railroad company, New England Central Freight. It is not yet known how high they will be.
Diesel fuel can cause fish kills, as can high levels of salt in freshwater environments.
The feathers of waterfowl can become contaminated with diesel, as well. When the birds clean their feathers, they ingest the fuel and that can be fatal. Examinations of the river after the spill, however, showed no signs of a fish or waterfowl kill down stream from the accident scene, and state and federal officials do not feel there is any future threat to fish or waterfowl as a result of the accident. Water samples taken Tuesday by New Hampshire officials that tested for contaminants from diesel fuel and road salt show levels well below the maximums allowed under the federal Clean Water Act. This was a very serious spill.