Train car leaks lye in Craven

ERNUL - A Norfolk Southern train car on its way to Weyerhaeuser was found to be leaking lye on a Craven County railroad track Monday evening, but early indications are that the leak isn’t hazardous.

Lye, also called sodium hydroxide, is used as a strong chemical base to make pulp and paper and is also commonly used in detergent. This particular load was nearly at its destination when the leak was discovered.

The train car carrying it was at the Ernul Brick Road and U.S. 17 crossing, the point at which the train switches from the main railroad onto the track that leads into Weyerhaeuser. During preparation for that track switch, around 5:30 p.m., a worker discovered the leak.

“It’s a very small leak,” said Stanley Kite, Craven County’s director of emergency management. “It is one drop every 60 seconds, and we’ve got a bucket under it.”

Kite said Norfolk Southern had both a cleanup crew and a containment crew on the way to the area, and those workers were expected to arrive by Monday night.

“We’ve got the fire department monitoring it until they get here, and once we know what they find, we’ll know what our next move will be,” Kite said. “In the meantime, there have been no evacuations and there seems to be no cause for alarm.”

Nikie Mayo can be reached at 252-635-5665 or nmayo@freedomenc.com.