The

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

Hauser Refueling Facility is a rail yard and fueling station located near

Rathdrum, Idaho Rathdrum is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 9,211 at the 2020 census, up from 6,826 in 2010. It is part of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entire county. It is named after ...

, which is owned and operated by the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

which was completed in 2004. The facility serves as a critical refueling point for

trains that traverse the northern United States transcontinental. The facility features several large fuel storage tanks, capable of holding thousands of gallons of

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

fuel. The facility moves 250,000 gallons of fuel daily and almost 7 million per month. These tanks are connected to a network of pumps and hoses that allow trains to be refueled quickly and efficiently. In addition to fueling services, the facility also provides routine maintenance and repair services for BNSF locomotives and railcars. The BNSF Hauser Refueling Facility is strategically located near several major highways and transportation hubs, making it a key logistics center for the transportation of goods throughout the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

and beyond.

History

The construction of the fueling facility for BNSF's Hauser Refueling Depot involved several protection measures to safeguard the environment around it. These measures included two high-density underground containment liners with leak detection, double-walled underground piping, and double-bottom diesel storage tanks. Above ground, locomotive fueling takes place on reinforced concrete platforms coated with an industrial seal to contain water run-off. Additionally, the facility is computer-controlled with sensors monitoring all aspects of the facility. The Hauser Refueling Facility serves as a crucial location for the BNSF railroad, covering the nation from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

into

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and down the West Coast, transporting essential goods like grains, fuel, energy products, medicine, paper, and food. The construction was initially controversial, but ultimately deemed an improvement over sandwiching a fuel tender between locomotives as

(and before 1996,

Burlington Northern The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States–based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1995. Its historical lineage begins in the earliest days of railroad ...

) had done until 2000. The Hauser Refueling Facility was completed in 2004. HauserMap

28 to 35

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s are serviced through a quick-stop process every day, which enables the trains to transport freight more efficiently and reduces wait times. The Hauser refueling facility is a significant source of employment in the area, generating hundreds of jobs. Moreover, the facility has raised the bar in environmental protection by implementing advanced

environmental monitoring Environmental monitoring is the processes and activities that are done to characterize and describe the state of the environment. It is used in the preparation of environmental impact assessments, and in many circumstances in which human activit ...

and detection systems. In fact, no other facility throughout

North Idaho The Idaho panhandle—locally known as North Idaho, Northern Idaho, or simply the Panhandle—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, K ...

or the

Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Vall ...

has this level of environmental monitoring and detection systems. The ground under the refueling pad is lined with impermeable material to prevent any contamination from seeping into the groundwater. However, the recent wastewater spill at the facility has raised questions about the effectiveness of these protective measures, as the transfer pipes intended to carry wastewater to nearby holding tanks were not lined with impermeable material, leading to contamination of the Spokane Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for 400,000 people in

northern Idaho The Idaho panhandle—locally known as North Idaho, Northern Idaho, or simply the Panhandle—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, K ...

and northeast Washington.

Spills

In December 2004, a wastewater spill occurred at the Hauser Refueling Facility owned by

Burlington Northern and Santa Fe BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ra ...

Co. Small amounts of petroleum-laced wastewater reached the Spokane Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for 400,000 people in northern Idaho and northeast Washington. Preliminary tests showed no immediate threat to drinking water, but Washington state agencies formed a network to monitor the situation and push for more scrutiny of potential sources of contamination. The chemical components of diesel fuel found in a monitoring well violated certain Washington standards that Idaho does not have. The railroad may be required to dig up soil under the broken pipes to prevent further contamination. Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Co. apologized and vowed to take measures to ensure another spill won't happen.

References

{{Reflist BNSF Railway Kootenai County, Idaho

History

Spills

See also

References