One year after a train derailment contaminated Garomna Station, the landholders have finally restored cattle to the affected area.
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Located 20 kilometres east of Julia Creek, Nigel Simmons runs 1000 head of Charbray cattle and has finally been allowed to move stock back to the affected area.
When 60,800 litres of sulphuric acid leaked onto Mr Simmons property on December 27, 2016 he was lucky to have no cattle in the 809 hectare block it affected.
Due to rain on December 26 the acid swept through the gully and into Mr Simmons’ dam located 200 metres from the crash site.
“The spill made our dam very acidic so we were lucky we didn’t have any cattle on that part of the property,” he said.
“If we were short on water it could have been a big problem but I had managed not to put the cattle on that part of the property until mid 2016 anyway.
“Three months after the derailment we were informed that we could put cattle on that part of the property but we have only just moved them there in recent months.”
Department of Environment and Heritage staff tested Mr Simmons’ dam and recorded a pH level of two (seven is neutral). As the clean up progressed, 50,000 tonnes of lime was placed in the dam to reduce the pH level.
Mr Simmons said the derailment would have been much easier to clean up if they hadn’t received a downpour beforehand.
“Over Christmas and Boxing Day we received between eight and 10 inches where the derailment occurred, just a freak amount of rain,” he said.
“This allowed the acid to spread quicker than what it could have if it occurred in dry conditions.
“The train track crossed a gully which only had two pipes to carry the water through and they just couldn’t handle it. This has since been replaced with four pipes.”
A report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau stated that floodwaters caused the scouring ballast and formation thus weakening the track which could not support the weight of the train.
Mr Simmons said the Queensland Rail line was replaced last year after the spill but it had not stopped derailments occurring.
“We had three derailments on our property just last year,” he said.
“I think it has more to do with the wear of the locomotives and carriages rather than the line.”
Overall Mr Simmons said he was happy with how the companies dealt with the derailment and the process that was in place.
Testing will continue on Garomna Station until the end of 2017.
Samantha Campbell
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
