Seventeen Montana Rail Link train cars derailed last Saturday morning in Stillwater County, causing a bridge across the Yellowstone River to buckle underneath it and send 10 train cars crashing into the water below, county officials have said. Since then, crews have been working to clean up the area and conduct water sampling at the site. As of Saturday, only two of the rail cars were still in the water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Officials also reported earlier this week that “asphalt globules” had been detected in the river but said it’s “not water soluble and is not anticipated to impact water quality.” The EPA has said it’s conducting daily water and air quality testing, and monitoring 10 downstream locations and three upstream sites. “At this time, there are no known risks to public drinking water or private drinking water wells,” the agency said Thursday.