LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Salvage operations began Tuesday morning to remove two barges stuck in the Ohio River, one of which is loaded with methanol, a toxic chemical.
A number of barges came loose March 28 from a tugboat and got stuck against the dam on the river near downtown Louisville. McBride's Fleet, a tow boat service based in New Albany, Indiana, began salvage operations for the damaged barge carrying methanol.
Capt. Michael McBride said the 1,400 tons of methanol on one of the barges isn't what concerns him the most. He said it's a material they're accustomed to dealing with that would evaporate if it were exposed to the air.
But as they were about to begin Tuesday morning McBride said it's not the easiest operation.
"It's dangerous back here," McBride said. "This is where barges don't belong, and no one wants to be back here. But the job has to be done. You have one of the best salvage companies here."
The city of Louisville said the U.S. Coast Guard's Vessel Trafficking Service halted downbound river traffic while the salvage operation is underway.
McBride boarded the barge responsible for siphoning off methanol from the sunken barge and transferring it to his container barge. The process will take a couple of hours as McBride said they will only siphon off enough to float the sunken barge.
After the methanol is safely transferred — and they remove the corn from the other barge — crews will remove both barges from the dam. The entire process is estimated to take a couple of days.
Louisville's drinking water continues to to be safe following the barge incident. There has been no impact on local water quality, according to Louisville Metro Emergency Services. Since the incident occurred, there have been more than 1,300 air quality samples taken and multiple water samples have been collected daily.
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