Sunken tugboat recovered from the Columbia River, says PUD
Cause of boat's submersion remains under investigation.
MATTAWA, Wash. — A contractor’s leased tugboat that sank upstream of Priest Rapids Dam Sunday night has been recovered from the Columbia River, announced Grant PUD officials.
The tug was refloated from the riverbed Thursday morning using specially constructed barges. It was then lifted from the water by crane and placed on containment pads along the shoreline, the utility district said in a press release today (July 3).
Cause of the sinking and amount of diesel released from the boat are not yet known. Additional investigations will be conducted to determine both, the district said. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident or recovery effort.
The contractor was working on a project for the PUD and had moored the leased tugboat to a barge in the river. Crews discovered the sunken boat around 6 a.m. Monday. Absorbent booms were placed in the river at the site to clean up diesel fuel on the water surface. There was no apparent damage to the dam itself.
The district said work continued over the past few days to secure the vessel and prevent any additional diesel from spilling. The Washington State Department of Ecology was on site during the process to ensure environmental impacts were minimized.
“We are grateful for the coordination and cooperation among our contractors, state agencies and Grant PUD during this incident,” Rey Pulido, vice president of power production, said in Friday’s statement. “By working together, we were able to resolve this event quickly.”
