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DUNSMUIR TOXIC SPILL_07_14_1991_01.JPG

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A derailed Southern Pacific tanker car spilled as much as 19,000 gallons of a toxic pesticide into the Sacramento River 50 miles north of Redding, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents, killing tens of thousands of fish and devastating the ecosystem along a 40-mile stretch of the waterway. The spill occurred on a section of the railway known as the Cantara Loop. The accident still ranks as the largest hazardous chemical spill in California history. This terrible event had lasting effects on the river, closing the waterway to fishing and recreation and having devastating implications on residents in the Dunsmuir area. The chemical spill was so toxic that it left residents in the area sick and scientists weren't even allowed to inspect the water for three days after the accident.
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Jay Mather
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Dunsmuir Toxic Spill on the Sacramento River_1991
A derailed Southern Pacific tanker car spilled as much as 19,000 gallons of a toxic pesticide into the Sacramento River 50 miles north of Redding, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents, killing tens of thousands of fish and devastating the ecosystem along a 40-mile stretch of the waterway. The spill occurred on a section of the railway known as the Cantara Loop. The accident still ranks as the largest hazardous chemical spill in California history. This terrible event had lasting effects on the river, closing the waterway to fishing and recreation and having devastating implications on residents in the Dunsmuir area. The chemical spill was so toxic that it left residents in the area sick and scientists weren't even allowed to inspect the water for three days after the accident.