Cause Of Railroad Shed Roof Collapse Probed

By Andrew Gorosko

The state Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) ongoing review of the Housatonic Railroad Company’s controversial proposal to expand its solid waste handling at its rail terminal at 30 Hawleyville Road (Route 25) has taken on a new aspect, with the recent collapse of a section of shed roof at the railroad building where solid waste is temporarily stored.

Robert Isner, DEP’s director of waste engineering and enforcement, said April 12 that DEP regulators will be studying the roof’s collapse. On April 9, DEP inspectors visited the site where the roof collapsed on April 2.

The DEP is conducting a permit review of the railroad’s proposal to increase the range of solid waste and also expand the tonnage of solid waste which it transfers from heavy trucks onto railcars for shipment to out-of-state landfills.

That DEP waste permit review includes a study of safety issues stemming from the waste expansion proposal, Mr Isner said. He said it is unclear why the roof collapse occurred, whether the incident was weather-related or was caused by an accidental impact. He termed the incident a “partial building collapse.”

It is unclear whether the fallen roof incident would delay the DEP’s ongoing permit review of the waste-handling expansion project, he said.

Colin Pease, the railroad’s vice president for special projects, said April 13 that the roof collapse occurred on the afternoon of April 2, while workers were at the railroad property. There were no injuries, he said.

Mr Pease said that he is investigating why a roughly 500-square-foot section of shed roofing at the northeast corner of the storage building fell down and declined to speculate on its cause. The fallen roofing is made of plywood and is covered with a weatherproof membrane.

The shed roof was in place to shelter temporarily-stored solid waste from the elements.

Mr Pease said the area where the shed roof fell has been cleaned up, adding that plans are underway to replace the section of fallen roofing. The railroad’s waste-handling operations are continuing, he said.

The roof collapse occurred near the area where the railroad wants to build new track that would be used in connection with expanded waste handling.

George Benson, town director of planning and land use, said that besides inspecting the shed roof collapse, DEP officials had previously planned to visit the 13.3-acre railroad property to check on stormwater control issues. The town land use agency had earlier contacted the DEP about the stormwater matter, he said.

A DEP solid waste inspector checked the fallen roof and a DEP industrial stormwater discharge inspector went there to check on the stormwater control issue, Mr Benson said.

The drainage issue concerns whether stormwater flowing off the railroad property adversely affects adjacent wetlands.

Town wetlands officials this week were awaiting the delivery of additional technical information from the railroad as part of its application for a wetlands permit for the site in connection with its proposed waste expansion project.

The Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) has scheduled an April 28 public hearing on the railroad’s application for a wetlands protection permit.

The town government and the Hawleyville Environmental Advocacy Team (HEAT), an ad hoc citizens group, have opposed the railroad’s expanded waste handling proposal.

Town government opposition and the citizens group’s opposition focuses on issues including the potential for surface water pollution and groundwater pollution due to expanded waste operations. Other issues include quality-of-life matters, such as increased truck traffic, increased noise, and additional blowing dust in the area.