SANDPOINT — Conservation groups are raising concerns about a second BNSF Railway bridge across Lake Pend Oreille, according to Idaho Department of Lands filings.

Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper contends the new bridge would double rail traffic over the lake, increasing the chances of derailments of crude oil and coal shipments

Shannon Williamson, executive director of the local Waterkeeper office, said increased shipments threaten water quality in the lake and the Pend Oreille River because coal and coal dust is released from open rail cars, which introduces heavy metals such as mercury, lead and arsenic into waterways. Oil spills, meanwhile, are notoriously difficult to contain, she added.

Although Bonner County has a geographic response plan that mobilizes resources to contain spills, Waterkeeper said the community remains unprepared for a catastrophic event.

“Our communities are not prepared to address the environmental fallout from a coal or train derailment into Lake Pend Oreille,” Williamson said in the group’s comments to IDL.

Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper also points out that increased rail traffic endangers threatened bull trout, increases the risk of collisions at at-grade rail crossings. It will also increase delays at those crossings, according to Waterkeeper.

“The city of Sandpoint has estimated that an approximate doubling of rail traffic will result in traffic delays of up to six hours per day, causing economic losses of $575,000, which is an increase of $300,000 attributed to current traffic delays,” Williamson said.

Bonner County EMS, however, contends a new bridge would actually speed emergency response because first responders are routinely halted by at-grade crossing blocked by trains waiting for traffic to clear on the existing bridge.

“With the addition of the second bridge, BSNF will be able to greatly alleviate the block of streets in Sandpoint and adjacent areas,” said Bonner EMS Chief Bob Bussey, who is urging officials to approve a second span.

The Idaho Conservation League notes that there were at least three significant derailments in Bonner and Boundary counties in 2017, and there have been at least 37 unique accidents in Bonner County between 1995 and 2015.

Both groups are calling on state and federal officials to extend the comment period so the impacts of second bridge can be thoroughly analyzed.

Matt Nykiel, an ICL associate, said a new bridge is expected to have impacts that will ripple out from the city, the county and the Pacific Northwest for generations.

“Indeed, these impacts will burden not only the people who reside in this area now but also the generations of people who will grow up or move to this area over the next 50 years,” Nykiel said in ICL’s comments to IDL.

The state is hosting a pair public hearings on the bridge proposal on Wednesday, May 23. The first hearing is set for 8 a.m. at the Ponderay Events Center, while the second is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Sandpoint Middle School.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.