Rail deal threatens Barrington's water

The ramifications of the acquisition of the EJ&E by Canadian National Railway are devastating.

People in the Barrington area are 100 percent dependent on shallow groundwater aquifers for their drinking water, unlike Chicagoans who get their water from Lake Michigan.

There is a life and death difference between a CN rail spillage of hazardous material in Chicago and one in the Barrington area.

Toxic and carcinogenic liquid chemicals can quickly enter the shallow aquifers and permanently destroy our drinking water.

Recently, the Canadian rail safety committee gave CN the lowest evaluation level possible for safety management systems to offset accidents, noting safety has not been "a high enough priority."

For good reason. There have been numerous serious CN accidents in the U.S. and Canada, including Tamaora and Salem, Ill., and Prince George, Wabamun Lake and Checkamus River Canyon, Canada.

No amount of mitigation will pay for the contamination of Barrington's groundwater.

No overpasses or underpasses will solve this problem. There is no alternative water supply and virtually no possibility of obtaining water from Lake Michigan.

This is a survival issue. Without drinking water, Barrington will die. The Surface Transportation Board should deny the acquisition of EJ&E by Canadian National.

Catherine Quigg

Barrington