In March, 2024, Advanced Marine was contracted by M4 Engineering, out of Reno, NV, to provide underwater support services on a recent train derailment that resulted in 700 tons of coal deposited in the Feather River, near Cromberg, CA.
The prime contractor for this project, Graymar Environmental, provided project management & logistics, spill containment and removal of material. ZA Construction, which specializes in railroad construction and derailment services, created the infrastructure required to access the site and provided the specialty equipment for railcar debris removal and mechanical dredging. M4 Engineering provided the pumping and filtration equipment, along with the expertise required to handle the solids and water dredged from the river. Advanced Marine’s responsibility was to rig for removal underwater train car debris and suction dredge the remaining coal using divers, following mechanical dredging operations with a clamshell and excavators.
Also on site, members of the Whitewater Rescue Institute provided swift water safety services and hands on assistance installing/removing containment materials to isolate the site, as well as leading downriver strike teams for the removal of accessible coal deposits. CTEH provided third-party compliance oversight and quality testing.
Due to the remote location of the spill, all of Advanced Marine’s equipment had to be transported using specialized high rail equipment provided by ZA Construction. Once in place, Advanced Marine conducted several surveys using divers and our Blue ROV2 to assess and quantify the coal remaining in the river at the site. Working with M4 Engineering, Advanced Marine set to work suction dredging deposits of coal.
Special care was taken to minimize disruption of the natural river bottom to the extent possible. With over 50 hours of dive time, Advanced Marine removed about 75 cubic yards of coal from the river. Post dredge ROV and diver surveys confirmed the combined efforts of onsite personnel had successfully met the criteria set by the state of greater than 95% coal solids removed.
