Capsized Barge Spills Lye Into Ohio River
PARKERSBURG, W.VA. — Authorities said Tuesday that there was no immediate threat to wildlife or water supplies from a barge loaded with 160,000 gallons of lye that ran aground and capsized on the Ohio River.
The barge was one of 15 being transported by a tugboat around a sharp bend when it broke away and ran aground near the rocky shore, Lt. Cmdr. Arthur Adkins of the Coast Guard said.
Cleanup and removal of the barge is expected to take weeks.
The accident occurred about 20 miles southwest of Parkersburg at Long Bottom, Ohio, and Murraysville, W.Va., near where a barge also carrying lye ran aground two years ago.
No leaks were detected in the latest incident, Adkins said, but small amounts of the lye solution, known as sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, may be seeping through vents in the barge.
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