Today a railbridge collapsed in Corvallis sending two train cars loaded with urea fertilizer into the Mary's River a few hundred feet from where the Mary's enters the Willamette.
That bridge got damaged years ago by a fire caused by a homeless man.
I really am surprised it was still being used.
I don't know how badly urea will affect the river or wildlife drinking from the Willamette, birds, fish. Or people's water supply. Albany is downriver to the spill but we get our water from the Santiam. It's about 400,000 lbs of urea lost into the river. The Willamette river runs all the way up the valley to and through Portland then joins the Columbia to head out to sea.
I suppose we will soon hear a lot more about this.
Excessive rain has caused numerous road closures due to slides. The Quartzville road slide is not cleaned out yet. Hope for the survival of that one gray tux not caught out there is dwindling.
The coast is suffering some of its usual winter slides and and road undermines.
This is a state park photo from the road that goes on past Sunset Bay State Park, which is flooded, to Cape Arago and Shore Acres State Park.
Today has been one of the darkest wettest most depressing days yet this year. (Lol, doesn't take much when its only the 4th to win that award).
Wow! There so much needs to be fix when it come to bridge and roads here in the united states.
ReplyDeleteYeah but that's a railroad owned bridge, not a public bridge. They own it and are responsible for its upkeep and inspection.
DeleteThat's just great! Whatever happens to the river, the fertiliser will end up in the sea.
ReplyDeleteYes it will.
DeleteUrk. I hope the roads can be cleared and repaired. Shudder at all that fertiliser in the river. Algae will love it. Other things not so much.
ReplyDeleteAlgae growth this time of year isn't common, in the rivers.
DeleteThat bridge should have been closed or rebuilt after the fire. I hope the effects will be limited.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, Bill. I hope so too.
DeleteI wouldn't want to drive over that road. This is why we need to invest in our infrastructure. It's been too long since some of these roads, rail lines, bridges, etc have had the maintenance they need.
ReplyDeleteThe railroad bridge is privately owned by the rail company. It was their job to inspect and maintain it, something that obviously did not happen especially since everyone knew that bridge to be unsafe, including myself. We weren't supposed to cross it on foot, since it was railroad owned, but we did. Lots of folks used it as a shortcut from south town across to downtown. I haven't lived over there for 18 years now, but it wasn't safe back when I lived there I didn't think. Then came the fire. I can't believe the railroad sent a heavy load across it. They should be liable for every aspect of clean up cost.
DeleteOh no.. that is horrible.
ReplyDeleteThey've already got a crane over there that can lift the train cars out of the river, I read this morning.
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