Tugs maneuver The Dutra Group’s scow from the port marina to open sea across the Siuslaw River bar. Dredge materials are then dumped at an EPA-approved site. On July 6, the barge was damaged when it struck an unknown object in the water, probably rocks. A replacement is due this week. Photo by Ned Hickson/Siuslaw News

Work on the Port of Siuslaw’s turning basin has come to a halt after an accident with the tug and barge earlier this month.

On the evening of July 6, a tug was towing the loaded barge to a disposal site outside the Siuslaw River bar when the barge hit a submerged object that tore a hole in it.

The barge and tug are part of a dredging operation that began last month. The port received federal stimulus funds of more than $1 million for the project, which is being overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is the first significant dredge operation here in decades, and some 100,000 cubic yards of silt, sand and debris will be removed.



For the complete article see the 07-21-2010 issue.

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