WILMINGTON - Closed since Sunday because of a train derailment, Cowan Lake State Park is looking forward to a busy weekend.

        The lake reopened Friday. The Sunday derailment sent three railroad cars and about 26,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide into nearby Cowan Creek, which feeds into Cowan Lake.

        U.S. 68 between Ohio 350 and Ohio 134 remains closed.

        “I can look out the window right now and see people fishing,” said Tim Carr, assistant manager at the state park. “What makes us happy is seeing our customers here enjoying the recreational activities.”

        The lake was closed Sunday as a precaution shortly after the accident - sending swimmers, boaters and fishermen elsewhere. Officials would not reopen the lake until they were assured no chemical had reached it.

        A week of taking water samples indicated the lake is safe.

        “There's nothing in the lake,” Mr. Carr said. “As a public agency and as a recreational-based agency, we're most concerned with the health and welfare of our visitors and the environment. We felt because of the information we knew ... we needed to protect the public so we took a precaution and closed the area.

        “Now we were safely able to reopen the lake.”

        Immediately after the crash, crews started building dams to contain the contaminated water in Cowan Creek. While Cowan Lake was apparently spared, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials said a portion of the creek would be damaged.

        The spill killed several hundred fish in the creek, Ohio EPA officials said.

        Work continues to clean up the mess along the rural stretch of U.S. 68 about four miles south of Wilmington. The cause of the derailment of the CSX train remains under investigation.

        Trains started running again Thursday.

        “The other focus for us now is on restoring the area,” CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said. “We will work with state and local officials to make sure that's done properly.”

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