Partially demolished and scuppered vessel dictates extreme measures.
The Coast Guard and environmental regulators have moved to Plan B for getting the derelict barge Davy Crockett out of the Columbia River: building a temporary $1.4 million coffer dam around the rusting wreck and removing it piece by piece.
Coast Guard officials had hoped to tow the barge in two big sections for out-of-river dismantling in a shipyard. But with bunker fuel and other contaminants on board, shipyards balked at the potential environmental liability, said Capt. Daniel LeBlanc, commander of the Coast Guard’s Portland-based marine safety unit.
Environmental regulators and river watchdogs favored a shipyard approach — the 431-foot converted Liberty ship from World War II has already leaked lubricating oil, fuel oil and some diesel at unknown volumes into the river, including small amounts of toxic PCBs.
But Oregon and Washington have signed off on the coffer dam, essentially sheet metal pilings lined with silt barriers to keep contamination contained. The dam will take four weeks to build, the Coast Guard predicts, with work starting as early as Friday.
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