State environmental officials said seven cars from the Canadian Pacific freight train that derailed in northern Somerset County over the weekend are still on site. Cleanup efforts are continuing.
The hazardous materials inside the train cars were removed from the site over the weekend.
But fuel, hydraulic fluid, and engine oil from the seven cars that remain on site is saturating the soil and flowing into the Moose River, which feeds into Little Brassua Lake. That's contributing to an oil sheen that can be seen from the derailment site to the lake, Maine's Department of Environmental Protection said Tuesday afternoon.
The DEP said it's working with Canadian Pacific to determine exactly how much fuel and oil is at the site, and to remove the remaining railcars and contaminated soil.
"The remote, forested nature of the area combined with the spring thaw is making these efforts more challenging because large equipment needs to be brought in to move the remaining railcars from the site," the DEP said in a statement.
Biologists from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are also investigating whether there's been any harm to wildlife.
