The Final Secton of Davy Crockett to be Removed Thursday.

Article posted by FSO-PB J. James

ASTORIA, Ore. — The final section of the derelict barge Davy Crockett will be lifted out of the Columbia River near Camas, Wash., Thursday.

The 431-foot former World War II-era Liberty Ship partially sank Jan. 27, 2011, while moored near the Washington shoreline. The vessel buckled due to structural instability, likely caused by improper deconstruction practices. Approximately 70 gallons of oil discharged to the river in late January, causing patches of sheen 14 miles downriver. The Unified Command was established at that time to respond to the unknown environmental threat posed by the Davy Crockett.

A cofferdam and impermeable barrier were built to surround the barge during deconstruction to keep any hazardous material releases contained inside. The decision to do in-water deconstruction was made after exhausting all feasible dry dock options.

Work will continue for several more weeks while divers dredge the river bottom inside the cofferdam to remove contamination resulting from the deconstruction work. The cofferdam will be removed after worksite cleanup is complete.

To date:

Incident duration:	209 days
Personnel Currently Assigned	36 - response contractors, federal & state
Injuries	0
Total Oil water mixture recovered to date	1.6 million gallons*
Total steel removed	4.43 million pounds
Debris & oiled debris removed:	838,296 pounds
Bunker oil recovered:	32,669 gallons
Asbestos removed	4,850 pounds
Samples analyzed to date (e.g. water, oil sediment)	218
Obligated costs to date	$19.2 million

For more information and pictures of the incident, please click on the link:

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/DavyCrockett/DavyCrockett.html

Article from District 13 Public Affairs website.