The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported in a statement that several river barges broke free from a tow boat on the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday, with three barges trapped against the lower McAlpine Dam site and one of them carrying about 1,400 tons of methanol.
The lock chambers at the McAlpine Locks and Dam – on the Ohio River at mile 606.8 – were closed to river traffic due to the “navigation accident, which occurred approximately at 2 a.m. EDT” Tuesday, the Army Corps said.
“Three barges are pinned against the lower dam site, one barge is pinned against the Louisville and Indiana bridge pier and all other barges were recovered by other vessels in the local area,” according to the statement.
According to the Army Corps, no injuries were reported and all employees were located. It also said it was collaborating on the recovery effort with the U.S. Coast Guard, the navigation industry, and marine surveyors.
Carburetor cleaner, windshield washer fluid, copy machine fluid, gas line antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, and other items all contain methanol. According to a white paper on the substance written by federal health authorities, it belongs to a class of substances known as “toxic alcohols” and is “extremely dangerous” to people who consume it because it can cause death, coma, and respiratory and circulatory failure.
The Louisville Water Co. said that the incident was downriver from its intake and that therefore there has been no impact on the city’s drinking water. “Your water is safe to drink,” it posted on Facebook.
The reason of the collision that released the barges is being looked into by the Coast Guard.
