Train spills animal fat across Iowa railroad tracks

Rails and roads along the Union Pacific railway in Central and Eastern Iowa could be a bit more slick today after crews cleaned up animal fat that leaked from a tanker.

The tanker, traveling from Council Bluffs to Chicago, was carrying 25,000 gallons of animal fat, and an estimated 1,500 gallons spilled, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The spill was caused by a cap coming loose from the bottom of a valve in the tanker, officials said. The source of the leak was not discovered until the train reached Cedar Rapids, according to the release.

The fat leaked along tracks from Missouri Valley on the western edge of Iowa, to Fairfax in Linn County, a distance of about 200 miles.

The material could be found on the track right of way and at crossings.

The DNR said the largest spill was in Boone, where the train stopped for 15 minutes. Crews vacuumed the spilled fat in Boone, and a trench was built to contain any runoff if rain should cause the leak to seep across the road.

Crews contracted by Union Pacific worked Monday and Tuesday to clean up problem spots using a material similar to cat litter that would soak up oil, Kevin Baskins of the DNR said.

Calli Hite, spokesperson for Union Pacific, said the cause of the spill is still under investigation, and the car is set outside of Cedar Rapids and is scheduled to be cleaned Wednesday.

None of the fat reached surface water, the DNR said.

Baskins said the concern with the spilled fat - other than slick roads near more concentrated spills - is that the fat could leak into surface water, decreasing oxygen levels and killing fish or other species if it had not been cleaned up quickly.

Baskins said the DNR is unsure if it will ask the Union Pacific to be responsible for cleanup costs and is asking the railroad to review its procedures.