Crude oil spilled in Dodge County train derailment

A train derailment in Dodge County spilled crude oil but caused no injuries. It is the second derailment in just over two years in the same area.

Crews are cleaning up the spilled oil from the Canadian Pacific train, monitoring air quality and working to repair damaged tracks. At a press conference Friday afternoon, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said there are no dangers to the public.

The oil spills came from tanker cars that were punctured in the derailment, Clyman-Lowell-Reeseville Fire Chief Eric Howlett said. Oil also leaked from the tops of derailed train cars lying on their sides.

Officials said the company will be responsible for cleaning up and mitigating the spill, which is confined to railroad property.

Howlett said more than 30 cars had derailed from the roughly 90-car train. 

The derailment has disrupted Amtrak service between Milwaukee and Minneapolis, which uses the same track. Schmidt said federal responders are working to repair the damaged track and hope to reopen the line Friday evening.

It is the second large derailment in Dodge County in just over two years. In July 2023, 30 cars carrying grain and potash derailed in nearly the same spot.

Schmidt said he has called on Canadian Pacific officials to make needed changes.

“I have had conversations with supervisors who have shown up on scene and expressed my concerns that we’ve had two in two years,” Schmidt said at the press conference. “We need to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, and they need to take steps to either reduce speed limit or change some below-grade designs. … We can’t have this continue.”