Efforts continue to control damage to the river, its banks, and the bridge that crosses the Norwalk River on Route 7 in Ridgefield between Simpaug Turnpike and Cains Hill/Topstone roads as the result of a deadly truck accident on Tuesday July 12, 2005. A gas tanker traveling north on Route 7 tried to avoid a white SUV which had turned onto Simpaug Turnpike right in front of the truck. In the process of swerving to avoid the car and swerving back into its lane, the truck jack-knifed, slid on its side into the bridge railing, spilled 8,800 gallons of gas, and burst into an horrific fireball that consumed the truck and its driver, Ricky Butler of New Haven. The blast and smoke were noticed miles away. Ridgefield Police continue to search for the driver of the white SUV that witnesses say caused the accident, and have set up an anonymous tip line at 203-431-2345 where information can be recorded.

The deadly accident sent flames above and below the bridge, burned the bridge surface, damaged its supports, and charred the river and its banks for a distance of 75 to 100 feet, with the greater devastation taking place on the downstream side of the bridge as the burning gas flowed under the bridge with the water. Immediate action by local emergency services and CT DOT and DEP lessened the environmental impact, whose full extent has yet to be determined. It is acknowledged that the same accident with a load of heavier home-heating oil would have had substantially worse environmental consequences than the lighter and more volatile gasoline.

As soon as the blaze had been extinguished and the heat and fumes allowed emergency workers to turn their attention to the environment, a series of absorbent booms and dikes were installed downstream across the river to catch gas, flammable liquid, and floating sediment. Pockets of gas and gas-soaked earth were dug out and removed, and special blotter-like pads were placed in the water and on the land to soak up gas-laced water. The booms and pads are changed regularly and appear to be very effective. "Pipe vents on the river banks were installed to vent the volatile fumes, recovery wells were dug to aid removal of contaminated water, and monitoring wells were put in place to gauge the long-term effects of the accident," said Carl Bard of CT DOT when he explained to NRWA Vice President Lillian Willis what emergency actions DOT and DEP had put in place shortly after the accident. Even by early morning on July 14, large steel beams were waiting to shore up the bridge so that traffic on this busy roadway could be restored quickly. Those beams were put in place so that traffic was operating close to normal by Friday morning, although much cleanup work and analysis of conditions continue to date.

A conversation with John Aceto of CT DEP on July 14 detailed the cleanup process. A conversation on Sunday July 24 with Eric Dewal, an onsite worker for Fleet Environmental, the company assigned the cleanup, revealed that more than 200 cubic yards of contaminated soil had already been removed and replaced with clean soil. The Emergency Phase of cleanup called for stone riprap on the banks, but that process, according to Aceto, would be delayed if investigation showed that more contaminated soil needed to be removed.

Further analysis of the bridge indicated that the structural damage was worse than originally estimated, and that the bridge abutments will need structural reinforcement, as well as the bridge surface. While this means that old riprap cracked from the heat can be removed and additional contaminated soil removed because of the structural repair required to the bridge, it also means further impact to the riverbanks as the temporary bridge is installed and soil removal continues. DOT engineers are working fast in hopes of finishing bridge repair before winter and the closing of the asphalt plant in December. DEP is trying to finish the emergency cleanup and bank stabilization while it waits for the environmental assessment report and long-term monitoring reports to determine additional steps to be taken in the Remedial Phase.

NRWA has made its four main concerns known to both DOT and DEP and has asked to be able to give input into the remediation of the river area. NRWA's first concern is about the need for bank stabilization as soon as possible to deter erosion and sedimentation that would further adversely impact insects and fish, and for the replanting of the banks with native plants to provide food and habitats for wildlife and shade for DEP-stocked fish and to deter invasive plants from establishing themselves in the void. Bank work should be done carefully to prevent portions of invasive Japanese knotweed in the area from re-rooting downstream. The second concern is for the water quality at the site and further plans for remediation, if necessary. The third requests a proper sedimentation cleanout basin to correct the present direct piping of road runoff into the river just east of the bridge and in the immediate area of the temporary bridge. The fourth concern involves the safe access for Ridgefield students to the River Study Site, whose main entrance and bus drop-off area will be taken up by the temporary bridge while the main bridge is being repaired. The River Study Program, which is written into the Ridgefield Elementary School curriculum (and also into that of Wilton at a different site on the Norwalk River), has students visit this site on different occasions at different times of the year to learn about the sources of fresh water, watersheds, rivers and their flora and fauna, and the stewardship that is necessary to protect these vital resources.

The River Study Site is an area where NRWA has been partnering with the Ridgefield Conservation Commission to control invasive plants and restore more of a meadow habitat.

The River Study Site is also part of one of the longer NRWA trail sections established in cooperation with various town agencies in both Ridgefield and Redding over town and state open space lands in the area. This trail section starts at Aldrich Park in Ridgefield and winds across Route 7 near Stonehenge Road, through various pieces of open space and along short stretches of dirt and paved roads connecting open spaces until it reaches the River Study Site at its northeast corner. From there, hikers have the option of taking a blazed trail to Topstone Park in Redding and thence to the 50-mile Saugatuck Valley Trails System. This option is the result of a brand new Eagle Scout project that will celebrate that route with a walk with Scout Scott Sloat this fall (check this website for NRWA fall/winter programs in early September). NRWA is very excited to be able to link the Norwalk River and Saugatuck trails systems through dramatic, 274-acre Topstone Park just over the Ridgefield/Redding line.

Extensive reporting on this fatal truck accident and its environmental impacts has been covered in The Ridgefield Press issues of July 14, 21, and August 4 and will likely be updated regularly. NRWA will provide updates through this website as soon as it has new information and sees the environmental report provided by independent experts to determine the extent of the devastation and suggestions for remedial action. Obviously, the land and river at this crucial site have a great deal of significance, and NRWA has expressed its interest in working with the controlling agencies to effect the best, most desirable and responsible remediation. From out of a tragedy, we have a good opportunity here for cooperation, correction, and education as people learn what can and should be done in a disaster such as this.