25 JUNE 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Partnership Critical to Derailment Site Investigation Adapted from Information by Geoprobe® In 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed just a quarter-mile west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border in East Palestine, Ohio. Early in the morning, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arrived at the scene. The EPA reported out of the 150 train cars involved, approximately 50 were impacted by the derailment. Among those, 20 cars were carrying hazardous materials, such as vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol, ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, and isobutylene. Some of the train cars ignited, while others leaked their contents into a nearby ditch, which feeds into streams that ultimately flow into the Ohio River. EnviroCore LLC played a key role in the investigation of the derailment site. “This was a keystone project for anyone in the profession,” owner Joe Fleck, said. “We saw a lot of top-level professionals sent to the project, which made us proud to be there.” The incident occurred just as the genuine refurbishment of Geoprobe® models 6610DT and 6620DT was completed. The rigs were promptly dispatched from Salina, Kansas, to assist with the site investigation. “People on-site asked if we had new rigs when they were sitting next to our 7822DT, which is ten years newer,” Fleck said. “The timing of completing those factory refurbishments couldn’t have been better and the quality of the job that was done was definitely noticed.” The team utilized the 6610DT, 6620DT, and 7822DT models interchangeably to conduct their work, whether it involved operating on the tracks or accessing side yards close to residential areas. “We chose compact Geoprobe® rigs for their versatility in this dynamic situation. They gave us broader adaptability to cover different scenarios,” Fleck said. “We could angle between railroad ties, work around tracks, and work in muddy conditions.” The 7822DT offered enhanced power for the installation of monitoring wells, while the smaller rigs were particularly well-suited for shallow sampling tasks. Their operations at the site have been structured into three distinct phases: j Immediately after the derailment - “We installed temporary shallow groundwater monitoring wells 25-50 feet deep across the incident site from East Pleasant Street to the Pennsylvania border.” j During the initial clean-up phase - “We assessed subsurface along the utility lines to determine whether contaminants were traveling through these paths.” j Following initial clean-up - “We’ve conducted shallow surface sampling from zero to four feet to assess presence of residual contaminant. We extensively assessed most of the shallow groundwater units across a couple hundred-acre site.” “The project involved the U.S. Coast Guard, [Occupational Safety and Health Administration], multiple consultants, U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, and air monitoring professionals,” Fleck said. “During the first phase, we had six to 25 people watching us drill holes at any given time and the air monitoring professionals shadowing us.” The company’s reliance on Geoprobe for support was crucial to their success on the derailment project, providing assistance with tooling inquiries and rig repairs whenever needed. “The railway company doesn’t get enough credit for cleaning up this site. It was an unprecedented, Herculean effort to clean up this site that was well-managed by the consultants in charge,” Fleck said. “Published reports show almost no contamination remains. This is due in large part to their immediate response.” Combination of 7822DT, 6620DT, and 6610DT makes a perfect fleet to do site investigation. ENV
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=