State responds to diesel fuel spill on Missouri River
Tugboat runs aground: releases more than 2,000 gallons of fuel

 

MAY 30, 2008
JEFFERSON CITY

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is assessing the damage and overseeing the cleanup of more than 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel that was released in the Missouri River following the grounding of a tugboat early this morning.

State on-scene coordinators from the department's Environmental Emergency Response Section are attempting to assess how far the diesel spill has traveled downriver from the scene of the accident, which occurred near the Mile Marker 11 on the Missouri River near West Alton. Efforts will be made today to arrange a flyover of the river to determine the extent of the damage caused by the release.

Department emergency staff will also be overseeing work currently under way by cleanup contractors hired by the boat's owner, Excell Marine, Cincinnati, Ohio. Contractors have already deployed absorbent booms around the still-leaking vessel to capture escaping fuel.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, shortly after 2 a.m., the towing vessel Omaha reported that it was taking on water and intended to intentionally ground the boat along the river bank in order to lessen the potential risk to the crew and the environment.

The Environmental Emergency Response section was contacted at 3:40 a.m. by the U.S. Coast Guard concerning the accident. The department dispatched state on-scene coordinators from its emergency response station in Eureka to the site of the spill.

An estimated 2,000-2,500 gallons of the boat's 22,000 gallons of diesel fuel are believed to have escaped from its tank vents as it took on water.

For specific details of the accident, contact the U.S. Coast Guard at 314-269-2614. The Coast Guard news release on the accident is available online at http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/425/204409/.

The department has also been working with drinking water systems downriver from the accident. As of late this morning, none of the released fuel had made its way to the nearest downriver water plant. Plant officials will continue to monitor the water for signs of the fuel.

From July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, petroleum products accounted for 43 percent of materials released during environmental emergencies.

The department's Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department's 24-hour spill line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the spill line at 573-634-2436. For more information contact the Department of Natural Resources at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov.