Lac-Mégantic: Site Revitalization

Reconstruction and Decontamination

On July 6, 2013, a 72-tank car freight train containing 100 tonnes of crude oil derailed in Lac-Mégantic, causing a 6-million litre spill. A series of major collisions and explosions led to the death of 47 people and the destruction of approximately 40 buildings and infrastructure facilities in downtown Lac-Mégantic.

The damage extended some 500 metres from the crash site. The spill caused water, soil and air contamination in downtown Lac-Mégantic, contaminating the Chaudière River over a distance of 120 kilometres.

Our team was mandated to help Lac-Mégantic to do the following:

• Recover the spilled crude oil and all other contaminants released into the environment.
• Complete the clean-up of the soil, water bodies, buildings and infrastructure started by the City of Lac-Mégantic.
• Rebuild the railroad track and replace the damaged rail to make the railroad operational within six months.

Six months later, nearly 120,000 metric tonnes of contaminated soil were excavated and more than 49 million litres of oily water were treated on-site by a mobile water treatment unit.

Assessing the Environmental Impact

Our team assessed the environmental situation and the impact of the contamination on the sewer system and buildings.

Cleaning up the Situation

We identified the best solutions for cleaning and removing contaminated soil in urban areas.

Tight Schedule

The railroad that we rebuilt had to be operational within six months, a feat we accomplished without fail.