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Norfolk Southern Railway has agreed to pay $4 million in federal fines to resolve alleged Clean Water Act and hazardous-material law violations associated with a 2005 train accident and chlorine spill in Graniteville, S.C., the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday.

On Jan. 6, 2005, a NS train derailed in Graniteville, puncturing tank cars that released chlorine gas. Nine people died as a result of chlorine exposure, hundreds more sought medical care because of respiratory distress and more than 5,000 residents evacuated an area within one mile of the derailment, according to the EPA. In addition, two locomotives involved in the accident leaked diesel fuel, a portion of which flowed into Horse Creek, the agency said.

Under the settlement terms, NS will provide incident command system training to environmental and transportation personnel; stock a nearby pond with at least 3,000 fish to replace those killed by the chlorine spill; and post a telephone number for the National Response Center to facilitate spill reporting. The settlement also includes a supplemental environmental project valued at $100,000 through which vegetation will be planted along the banks of Horse Creek to decrease erosion and sedimentation, the EPA said.