NPS closes Rock Creek Campground after ethanol spill from train derailment

The National Park Service on June 14 closed Rock Creek Campground after ethanol concentrations rose in water and air upstream from the 11-site tent campground. The shutdown also covered the adjacent Nemo Day Use Area at Obed Wild & Scenic River in Morgan County, Tennessee, and the agency told visitors to stay out of the water around both sites.

The closure followed a fiery train derailment on June 11 near Lansing along the Emory River, where the National Transportation Safety Board said 26 rail cars were involved, including ethanol tank cars. Several cars were breached and caught fire, and the derailment forced hours-long evacuations in the area. As of June 13, four rail cars were still burning when federal investigators arrived, according to the NTSB.

Norfolk Southern said contractors specializing in emergency response and water-quality sampling were working to monitor river impacts and mitigate any effects. The company also said booms and several aerators were being placed in the river as a precaution to keep oxygen levels from dropping. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies were monitoring water and air quality.

Morgan County Emergency Management Agency leaders said cleanup could take several days. The National Park Service said the campground closure would remain in place until damage had been assessed and cleanup work completed, with the timing tied to conditions at the derailment site and along the river corridor.

Rock Creek Campground is a primitive, tent-only facility with 11 campsites and a listed fee of $15 per night. Reservations are required online through the federal recreation booking system, while Obed Wild & Scenic River itself does not charge an entrance fee. The campground sits next to the Nemo area, which is why the park also closed the nearby day-use zone as crews tracked the spill and its downstream effects.