MARTINEZ, Calif. — The Amtrak station in Martinez, Calif., remains closed this weekend as a result of a mercury spill discovered on Monday, with the source of the spill still a mystery to authorities.
KTVU-TV reports that Contra Costa County health officials said Friday they are making progress in cleaning up the spill, discovered by fire department paramedics. Contra Costa Health officials believe the mercury was originally placed in a garbage can at the station; it was then inadvertently spread in the downtown area by a garbage truck making pickups in the area [see “Martinez mercury spill larger than first realized …,” Trains News Wire, May 10, 2023]. But who placed the substance — highly toxic as a vapor — into the trash and can why remains unknown.
Authorities have advised people walking in the downtown area to stay on sidewalks and not walk on the streets where the mercury was spread by the garbage truck, to avoid tracking it indoors.
Contra Costa Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a private contractor are all involved in the cleanup, which involves neutralizing the substance along more than 3,800 feet of roads.
Trains that normally stop at the heavily used Martinez station are stopping at a former station site a short distance away.
