MARSEILLES, Ill. — The Unified Command announced Thursday that salvage operators successfully removed a partially submerged barge at the Marseilles Dam.
The barge contained steel plates, some as large as 40 feet in length, 8 feet wide and weighing up to 7,000 pounds each, which had to be unloaded in order to raise the barge and remove it from the area. This was the sixth barge to be removed at the Marseilles Dam since the flood and incident on April 18 when seven barges broke loose from a tow during historic flooding on the Illinois River.
One barge remains submerged at the dam. Salvage operators are working this week to offload that barge and safely remove it from the area. In order to mitigate safety hazards related to salvage operations, the Coast Guard continues to enforce a no-wake zone for the 600-yard approach to the Marseilles Canal between Illinois River mile markers 246.9 and 247.2.
The Coast Guard has established a website to keep the public informed of ongoing operations and provide the latest Unified Command updates on vessel transit restrictions for the Illinois River between the Starved Rock and Dresden Dams. Information can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/marseillesdamincident.
For further details, vessel operators should tune to Channel 16 or contact Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan at 414-747-7190.
Release no. USCG