The U.S. Coast Guard says crews have successfully removed a hazardous substance leaking from a sunken tanker barge in Lake Erie.
Salvage crews have been working to remove what it called a "water product" mixture from the Argo since October. The barge sunk between Ontario's Pelee Island and Ohio's Kelleys Island in 1937.
"Due to the diligence and collaborative efforts of all those involved in the response, the Unified Command was satisfied that the barge does not continue to pose a safety or environmental hazard," Lt.-Cmdr. Shaun Edwards with the U.S. Coast Guard, said in a news release.
When the Argo sank in 1937, a news report estimated almost 400,000 litres of crude oil and 400,000 litres of benzol were onboard, but the U.S Coast Guard could not verify that is indeed what spilled from the sunken barge.
Even though all the pollutants have been cleared from the barge, a 300-metre safety zone around the Argo's position remains in effect. The area is closed to traffic until further notice.
Crews continue operations for the Lake Erie sunken tanker barge Argo as Unified Command responders took advantage of a favorable weather window on Nov. 29, 2015. U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Kurt Kollar, Ohio EPA (Provided/ Kurt Kollar/Ohio EPA)
"There's still a lot of work to be done with decontamination of our equipment," explained Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher Yaw, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard.
"It's still an active work site, even though the removal part of the job is still complete," he said.
Yaw said U.S. and Canadian crews will continue working on the site for the next few weeks, clearing the site and mitigating any additional pollution.
The sunken barge is located away from commercial ship traffic, and the vessel is in 13-metre deep water.
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